The surge in support for Pauline Hanson’s One Nation (PHON) not only reflects a worrying rise in racist sentiment, as it picks up Coalition voters, it reveals that popularist non-solutions to the cost-of-living and housing crises are gaining traction.
Former National Party leader Barnaby Joyce’s decision to jump aboard the PHON bandwagon could further boost its fortunes, as PHON seeks to emulate the electoral rise of far-right outfits in Europe.
The refusal by Labor and the Coalition to stop the growing divide between the haves and the have-nots has paved the way for PHON’s rise in the polls.
While Hanson campaigned for former Coalition leader Peter Dutton to be new prime minister, she told ABC TV’s 7.30 in April that both major parties had recycled her “good policies”, including reducing foreign investment in housing, measures to restrict immigration and international student intakes and the reopening of immigration gulags.
Despite its landslide victory, Labor has killed hopes of any real changes as it dutifully acts for the capitalist class. Labor has decided that its main aim is to stay in power; that means not delivering any serious reforms on the big social issues — housing, cost-of-living and the climate emergency.
Labor's changes to the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act still allow the profit-hungry fossil fuel corporations to have their projects approved — without climate impacts being considered. The Australia Institute has estimated that Labor handed $14.9 billion in tax breaks and subsidies to fossil fuel producers over 2024–2025.
Its decision to embrace Scott Morrison’s brain fart — AUKUS — has set the country on a dangerous path of greater militarisation at the expense of $400 billion+ being deployed to revamping Australia’s manufacturing base to help in a just and sustainable renewable energy transition.
Despite the alarmist propaganda from the US and Australian ruling class, polls continue to show a minority support the US’ military presence in Asia, with most seeing the US being more harmful. Meanwhile, views of China remained steady.
The Australia-US military alliance dictated Labor’s positioning on Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
While the mass movement for Palestine forced it to make a few mild condemnations of the Israeli state, it has refused to use the word “genocide” to describe the killing spree in Gaza and it still pretends the two-ways weapons trade with Israel doesn’t exist.
Labor’s pro-developer housing policy is driving up prices and pushing first home buyers into more debt. It refuses to alleviate poverty by raising welfare payments to a livable rate or address ongoing rent rises.
As millions of working people’s dreams of a better future are smashed, popularist anti-immigration arguments can take hold.
Anti-immigration fears have, historically, always risen in periods of economic recession and rising unemployment.
While neither major party wants to significantly slow immigration — which helps address critical skilled worker shortages — they allow the lie that immigration is to blame for housing shortages to go unchallenged.
One Nation and the far right are learning to manipulate the very real pain over working people’s inability to access decent housing and survive as prices double and treble to drive their racist agenda.
As long as Labor keeps sacrificing the interests of working people in favour of further enriching the already too rich capitalist class, the far right will continue to poison the minds of too many people.
The shrinking of organised labour and, too often, union leaderships unwillingness to challenge Labor, also opens up the political space for the right. Union membership has dropped from about 51% in 1975 to just 13.1% in 2024. A less organised working class if more vulnerable to right-wing populist propaganda.
Hanson and Joyce are banking on exploiting the social isolation and economic insecurity of large sections of the working class, especially those in regional areas.
The left has to rise to this political challenge. It will require workers taking back their right to strike and linking up with movements against racism and war, and for justice for First Nations peoples.
Socialist solutions to redistribute the wealth and ensure decent living standards for all are gaining momentum.
But even to win a few of the most urgently needed reforms, we need to rebuild working class and community power, because just voting for good policies will not deliver them. In this class divided society, they will have to be fought for.
So we are making a call out to you: If you have seen our work, and like our policies, now is the time for you to join Socialist Alliance and help us reach those who may otherwise be drawn to the irrational and racist far right.
Our policies are based on the understanding that working people can create a democratic socialist society focused on meeting the needs of people and the planet. But they need to take power into their hands, away from the billionaire class and the corporations and governments they control.
[Isaac Nellist is a member of the Socialist Alliance National Executive.]