The company you keep in politics is crucial. Strong alliances across the political spectrum give you extra leverage on issues; but the concept of guilt by association has a long history in Australian politics. Examples are legion. Generally they concern partnerships, fleeting or otherwise, between the major parties and controversial allies on either the Right or the Left.
There have been several recent examples, including the pattern of alliances involving Greens and Independents supporting the Gillard minority Labor Government. The most controversial ones have concerned Tony Abbott and his allies in the anti-carbon tax demonstrations, and the NSW Greens and their allies in the proposed trade boycott against Israel.
At the height of the Cold War in the 1950s one staple of Coalition allegations against Labor was that their association with the Communist Party of Australia was too close.
There were many aspects to the charge that Labor was 'soft on communism'; a particular one was the so-called 'unity tickets', with left-wing Labor and Communist candidates combining in union elections to defeat right-wing Labor Industrial Group candidates. Rightly or wrongly Labor suffered from guilt by association during election campaigns. Labor leader, Dr H. V. (Bert) Evatt (pictured), personified this association in the public mind.
On the other side the Coalition suffered from time to time from allegations that particular conservative MPs were too close to right-wing groups such as the anti-semitic League of Rights. At one time considerable publicity was given to the claim that the Country Party was being infiltrated by the League of Rights. It was alleged also that the Liberal Party was too close to right-wing immigrant groups with Fascist connections.
More recently, claims of guilt by association surrounded Pauline Hanson and her One Nation Party. In 1996 Hanson, after her anti-Indigenous remarks attracted media publicity, was disendorsed as the Liberal candidate for Oxley by the Liberal central command to avoid such guilt. They wanted as much distance as possible between her and the Liberal Party if mud started flying.
Later the question of preference exchange with One Nation became fraught. Labor promised to 'Put One Nation Last' in order to put the Coalition over a barrel. The Coalition dithered over what strategy to pursue, but eventually fell into line. Hanson's party was ostracised because both sides of politics wanted to avoid the charge of guilt by association.
The two modern examples follow a similar pattern. Abbott became embroiled in controversy over the company