One Nation's Victorian leader, Warren Pickering, became visibly frustrated when he was unable to recall the Reserve Bank of Australia's latest cash rate during a live television interview. The exchange occurred when Pickering was questioned by reporter Sharri Markson on Wednesday evening.
The Reserve Bank of Australia had announced the previous day, Tuesday, that it was increasing the cash rate by 0.25 basis points to 4.85 percent, marking its highest level in nearly 18 years. When pressed by Markson, Pickering initially offered "5 percent" as the rate, which she corrected. He then deflected the question, stating that the most pressing issue for Victorians was the cost-of-living crisis, citing the rising costs of groceries, fuel, rent, and mortgages.
"I am campaigning about 18 hours a day," Pickering told Markson. "My issues right here, right now are the Victorian people. That's who I intend to represent."
Pickering also defended One Nation's decision not to release detailed policy costings, arguing that government cost estimates have historically been unreliable and that Victorians are more concerned with spending cuts than forecasts. He stated the party intends to implement a "zero-based budget" approach.
This incident drew comparisons to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's 2022 election campaign gaffe, where he was unable to recall the exact cash rate or unemployment rate. Albanese had incorrectly suggested the unemployment rate was 5.4 percent instead of 4 percent and could not immediately identify the cash rate, which was 0.1 percent at the time. He later attributed the error to being human.
One Nation's policy platform in Victoria includes pledges such as abolishing payroll tax for regional businesses, increasing the tax-free threshold for metropolitan employers, and rolling back Labor's land tax increases on rental properties. The party also proposes scrapping the 10 percent insurance duty on various insurance policies, reversing the ban on gas connections in new homes, and implementing a "Victorian gas for Victorians first" policy. Furthermore, One Nation has vowed to abandon the state's net-zero emissions targets and cancel certain renewable energy transmission projects.
Recent polling indicates One Nation is performing strongly in Victoria, polling at 22 percent, while the Labor party is at 22.5 percent and the Coalition leads at 29.5 percent.