Federal election 2022: Barnaby Joyce to preference One Nation on how-to-vote cards

The National Party leader has recommended voters in his New England electorate preference the One Nation candidate second on their ballots, in a preferencing decision Australian Community Media understands was a "captain's pick" by the Deputy Prime Minister.

In Queensland, the Liberal National Party will ask voters to preference One Nation second in on their Senate ballot form, where Pauline Hanson is running for re-election.

The preferencing decision comes after One Nation put Labor above the Coalition in key marginal seats on its own how-to-vote cards, including Bass.

In a statement Senator Hanson said she was sending a shot across the bow of the Liberals. She confirmed One Nation would work with the Nationals in some seats to negate the loss of seats held by "left-leaning Liberals" who "masquerade" as conservatives.

"The Nationals and their supporters won't be happy about the Liberals' lurch to the left on these issues, either, which is why I'm prepared to work with them in some seats to offset the loss of Coalition seats held by left-leaning Liberals," she said.

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She said the National Party had used "some common sense when it came to preferencing One Nation ahead of other parties" in Mr Joyce's seat of New England.

"There will be a number of farmers and regional industry groups upset with the National Party and their decision to support Scott Morrison's net-zero policy by 2050, so it was important that One Nation stood a candidate in New England to offer those voters an alternative at this election," she said.

Mr Joyce said he held preference negotiations with the party, but ultimately it was a decision for One Nation.

He told media on Thursday preference agreements "are inherently important" for which party forms government.

He said parties "sit down and work out where is the person who has the closest philosophy to where they are ... and I've tried to do that".

"Same as Labor and the Greens, we rely on One Nation preferences. Certainly, the Liberal party relies on us to give them the numbers to be the government. That's just being factual," he said.

The Prime Minister responded to news of One Nation's decision to preference Labor above his Liberal candidates, saying more news would come about those arrangements, and the arrangements would differ across states and territories.

"But you know what, that's just all politics - what matters is the choice Australians have to make," Mr Morrison told reporters while campaigning in Cairns.

Parties do not directly affect the flow of preferences in lower house seats, but typically hand out how-to-vote-cards which make a recommendation as to how their supporters should number their ballot. Voters are free to choose whether to follow the card or not.