Australian conservatives gather at CPAC, yet struggle to unite against Labor

The Conservative Political Action Conference in Brisbane turned into a spectacle of costumes, anthem performances and tongue-in-cheek media badges, drawing a crowd of One Nation, Liberal and National figures. Monica Smit chatted with a Trump impersonator, while Jacinta Nampijinpa Price and her husband sang the national anthem alongside opera singers. Speakers repeatedly stressed that the fragmented right must coordinate preferences to prevent Labor’s re-election, but concrete cooperation remained elusive.

Pauline Hanson signed a pledge to collaborate yet called the Liberal leader a "smarmy management consultant" and said One Nation would no longer be the Coalition’s bridesmaid. Angus Taylor dodged audience questions about a joint plan, and Barnaby Joyce used his slot to discuss historical coinage rather than strategy. The conference underscored the right’s splintered state ahead of the next federal election due by May 2028.