John Howard confronted by One Nation supporters on a visit to the NSW central coast in 2001. The then PM responded to the threat of One Nation to the Liberal partys electoral fortunes by refusing to preference them Photograph: Julian Smith/AAP

The Western Australian Liberal deal with Pauline Hansons One Nation has been given the blessing of the former prime minister John Howard, despite his 2001 edict it must be placed last on his partys how-to-vote cards.

Adding star power to the Liberal election campaign in Perth on Thursday, the nations second-longest-serving prime minister said the WA division made a very sensible, pragmatic decision to cut a deal with the rightwing party.

I fully understand why the WA Liberal party has taken the decision, he told reporters at a shopping centre in the seat of Southern River on Thursday, when he received almost entirely positive responses from voters and children.

Howard said One Nation had morphed into a different beast since his 2001 instructions, although he still didnt agree with everything it espoused.

Everyone changes in 16 years, he said. Trying to understand that decision and decisions that were taken by various iterations of the Liberal party 15 or 16 years ago is ridiculous.

Everyone changes in 16 years ... I think its entirely sensible

This is a different set of circumstances. I think its entirely sensible that the party has done whats its done.

The Greens were the only ones who hadnt changed, he said, and advocating dismantling the US alliance illustrated the partys continuing extremism.

The idea that people would see the current One Nation party as more extreme than the Greens is ridiculous, Howard said. And whos playing footsie with the Greens the Australian Labor party.

His comments came after the WA premier, Colin Barnett, refused to be drawn on whether the Liberals were morally wrong to seal the deal, snubbing alliance partners the Nationals, which retaliated with its preferences.

Barnett admitted some of the headline-grabbing views of candidates were abhorrent but said it was a numbers game and he had an election to win.

The latest comments from One Nation hopefuls dogging the party reportedly came from the now-deactivated Twitter account of Richard Eldridge, who is contesting an upper house seat in Perths South Metropolitan region.

In the posts, Eldridge, a real estate agent, advocated killing Indonesian journalists and also attacked the gay community, black people and Muslims.

Old social media posts are also haunting Michelle Myers, who was nominated for the newly-created seat of Bateman.

On Facebook last year, she said the gay community used Nazi-style mind control to get people to support same-sex marriage and has recently been protesting against abortion outside a reproductive health clinic in Midland, where women also get fertility treatment.

In absolutely no way do I endorse the policies or candidates of One Nation, Barnett told reporters. I find some of those comments absolutely abhorrent.

Im not going to be defending One Nation go and talk to Pauline.

Read more:

John Howard backs Liberal preference deal with One Nation in WA - The Guardian