ACT Opposition Leader Mark Parton has not ruled out an "unlikely" coalition with One Nation after an opinion poll showed 14 per cent of voters in the territory would back the far-right party if an election were held now.
But Mr Parton said the figures, which he thought might be a little high, vindicated his anti-One Nation approach and showed a significant portion of voters wanted a change at the next election.
"[A] protest vote is one thing. We get one chance every four years to change the government here. And I would hope that the city doesn't mess up that chance," Mr Parton told ABC radio on Wednesday.
Mr Parton said the only thing that could save Chief Minister Andrew Barr was One Nation, because the party might fracture the conservative vote sufficiently for Labor to survive.
"in Victoria, they're very close to the election there. It's coming up in November this year, and One Nation are polling much higher in Victoria. And again, despite the closeness of that election, there's no party leader, there's no candidates, and there's no Victorian policies," Mr Parton said.
"And so, it's up to us as the opposition to hold the government to account, to listen to the people, to lay on the table a fully funded, genuine alternative government policy suite. They won't do that."
Asked if the Canberra Liberals would form a government with One Nation after the 2028 territory election, Mr Parton said: "I would say it's unlikely, but it's impossible to genuinely rule it out."
Mr Parton said he and no one else knew what One Nation's policies were. "It's just a vibe at this stage. So, you know, I would suggest that it's unlikely, but, you know, nobody knows. We are absolutely feeling around in the dark here," he said.
Mr Parton last month used a bilingual video posted to social media to say One Nation leader Pauline Hanson could "go to hell, honestly" after she declared Australians "must be monocultural" at the National Press Club.
Federal Opposition Leader Angus Taylor has ruled out forming a coalition with One Nation, using a speech to warn a One Nation government would result in an "eternity of pain".
The DemosAU/PremierNational poll released on Wednesday showed 14 per cent of Canberra voters would give their first preference to One Nation, even though the party is yet to announce any local candidates or policies. The poll had a 3.8 per cent margin of error.
ACT Labor's primary vote would slip to 32 per cent compared to the last election, a swing of 2.1 per cent. The next territory election will be held in October 2028.
The Canberra Liberals would face a swing against them of 12.5 per cent and achieve a primary vote of 21 per cent, while the Greens would suffer a 1.2 per cent swing against them, falling to an 11 per cent primary vote.
Mr Barr was voters' preferred chief minister, leading Mr Parton 46 per cent to 32 per cent.
Former opposition leader Leanne Castley, who quit the Liberals for the crossbench, said One Nation's strength in the territory was no surprise.
"I have had so many conversations with Canberrans who don't support Labor but have now given up on the Canberra Liberals. That's why so many Canberrans are willing to support a party without a leader, representatives, or policies," Ms Castley said.
The poll showed Ms Castley had the lowest agreement level, with 21 per cent of voters holding a negative view, 10 per cent rating the Yerrabi independent positively and 69 per cent neutral.
Ms Castley also criticised her former party, saying the Liberals needed to figure out who they were and what they stood for.
"Voters are looking elsewhere because the Liberals cannot show how they would govern or where they would take Canberra," she said.
