In World Cup football terminology, I would score the recent political contest at the National Press Club in Canberra as Leftist Sneerers 0, Pauline Hanson 3.
Ever since Hanson arrived on the political scene in the lead-up to the 1996 federal election, I have always taken the One Nation leader seriously. Sure, in her early years in politics, I was critical of Hanson on many (but not all) issues. I still am.
But it was always apparent that she stood for something and that, although at times inarticulate, she was a good communicator.
After a nervous stumbling start at the NPC, Hanson soon settled down. This occurred around the time the stunt by the leftist GetUp organisation went into operation. A poster critical of One Nation’s position on industrial relations was unravelled along with a reference to Hanson accepting an increase to her parliamentary salary.
The latter was the result of the fact, having won the Farrer by-election, One Nation was entitled to have minor party status, resulting in a pay increase for its leader. Most employees, if offered pay increases, accept them.
Hanson’s vote in the Senate will never affect the decisions of the Fair Work Commission, which determines pay and conditions for most workers. Moreover, there is a strong case that the labour market should be more flexible to facilitate employment and productivity, as was in the case in the final years of the Hawke-Keating government.
Hanson’s response to the GetUp stunt was controlled as she spoke about the cost of living in general and child poverty in particular. At the end of the lengthy speech and before the Q&A began, the following exchange took place between Hanson and NPC president Tom Connell: “Connell: Thank you, Senator. Just in case it needs clarifying, we had no knowledge of what happened here. Hanson: Just tell me, is this another first? Connell: It’s, I believe it is. I believe it is. Hanson: I’ve got a lot of firsts in my life.” The response demonstrates that Hanson can be quick and sharp. Quicker and sharper than some journalists in the room who were not contenders for best on the ground. Especially Sarah Martin of the leftist Guardian Australia who directed a question about Hanson’s daughter, Lee Hanson, who works for a NSW One Nation senator from her home in Tasmania. Apparently, Martin does not understand that some staff in national politics work from home.
As mentioned previously in this column, as recently as February, ABC TV’s Linton Besser referred to Hanson as a “one-time peddler of fish and chips from Ipswich”. In her NPC speech, Hanson chose to remind viewers/listeners that she “actually ran a small business”.
In The Saturday Paper on May 16, GetUp executive director Paul Ferris wrote: “Over the six weeks up to May 9, GetUp spent $600,000 campaigning against One Nation in the Farrer by-election. Then we lost, badly.” An own goal to be sure. Followed by another at the NPC on Wednesday.
One Nation can prevail over the smart-alecs in GetUp like David Sharaz, who is alleged to have activated the anti-Hanson poster. The party’s most difficult opponent will be the Labor Party.
On the morning after the NPC speech, Labor sent out perhaps its most talented headkicker – Queensland senator Murray Watt – to criticise Hanson.
Now that Hanson has laid down a range of political positions across several social and economic issues, the likes of Watt will have an increasing opportunity to challenge her in detail.
It’s a task more suited to Labor than the extremist Greens or some of the leading figures in the Coalition who do not resemble the likes of opposition figures such as Malcolm Fraser, John Howard and Tony Abbott.
Over the years, One Nation has experienced significant problems with poor candidate selection and staff appointments. Speaking to Paul Sakkal on Nine’s Inside Politics podcast recently, Hanson conceded she closed four branches because of the presence of what I termed, writing in The Australian in 1989, the Lunar Right.
Hanson told Sakkal, “I’m being infiltrated by these extremists; so it’s all the time happening with One Nation, they set us up all the time.” That’s the downside. The upside is that Hanson’s chief of staff, James Ashby, who has a background in the LNP in Queensland, is one of the best political operatives going around.
One Nation’s social media by far outperforms its political rivals. Moreover, it can be quite funny. Pauline Hanson’s Please Explain videos first aired in 2021 and the series is in its fourth season. Its animation style is sometimes compared to South Park.
Hanson’s Please Explain is produced by Stepmates Studios in Melbourne – which is co-founded by Mark Nicholson and Sebastian Peart. Nicholson, who is a regular guest on Sky News’ The Kenny Report, has a fine sense of humour. What’s different about the Nicholson approach is that he laughs – not sneers – at his opponents.
One Nation’s appeal is regarded by many media commentators as essentially attracting Australians in rural and regional areas, who do not have as many tertiary qualifications when compared with Australians in the city, particularly inner-city types. This is broadly true. But not entirely.
There is evidence that many professionals and well-educated Australians have become attracted to One Nation because they are disillusioned with the two-party political system. After the South Australian and Farrer results, plus Hanson’s NPC appearance, One Nation’s performance will be subjected to greater scrutiny. Labor will be looking to take back lost supporters on social issues, while the Coalition will focus on economic matters where its strength lies. It’s a long way to go before Hanson is likely to return to the NPC and to the next election.