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But Mr Howard today cited ousted Liberal premier Richard Court's stance on logging as an example of policies that helped One Nation. "The Court government took a number of decisions over the last 18 months that, in my view, drove people towards minor parties such as One Nation," Mr Howard told Sydney radio 2UE.
"For example, they took on the forestry industry. "It meant that forestry workers, blue collar workers in regional parts of Western Australia, had no option but to go to One Nation because both the Liberal Party and the Labor Party, at a state level, were really promising to destroy their jobs."
He said people such as timber workers could not be blamed for voting other than Liberal or Labor in WA. "Timber workers in WA were abandoned by both sides of politics. They weren't abandoned by the federal government," he said.
He said federal Forests Minister Wilson Tuckey had probably been timber workers' strongest supporter. "One of the reasons, in my opinion, why One Nation did well in WA was the decision taken by the Court government 18 months ago to walk away from the forestry agreement it made with my government.
"That sent the signal to blue collar workers in regional areas of WA that not only was the Labor Party indifferent to your fate, but so was the coalition. "I think that sent precisely the wrong signal because they had no one to turn to."
Mr Howard said Labor had won the WA election because, overwhelmingly, people had wanted a change of government. The party needed to be rebuilt in WA, he said.
"A lot of things could cost us government. One of the things that I
will be saying between now and the next federal election to One Nation
voters is that if you are by normal inclination a Liberal supporter, by
voting for One Nation and following their preference advice, you are voting
for Mr Beazley."
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