‘Don’t mock’: Chalmers’ One Nation warning

Treasurer Jim Chalmers warns against mocking One Nation voters, saying Labor must address their economic concerns.

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Treasurer Jim Chalmers has denied being rolled by Anthony Albanese after the prime minister personally intervened to stop a tax office ban on credit card payments a day before stopgap funding was announced.

Chalmers last week announced new funding for the ATO to ensure card payments could continue until the end of the financial year.

In an address at The Australia Institute, Chalmers warned against mocking One Nation voters, saying Labor must demonstrate it can deliver meaningful economic change.

He argued that hoping the far right would simply fade away was not a viable strategy, and that criticism of Pauline Hanson's voter base must not stem from a position of 'smug moral superiority'.

Chalmers said that Labor's role as progressives is not to scold or talk down to those who see appeal in the One Nation message, but to address their economic concerns and make reforms.

He predicted that One Nation would likely have a strong foothold in the next parliament, and that the far right's strategy was to divide people and undermine economic confidence.

Chalmers said that the far right's goal is to talk down the economy so that their endless negativity becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.