Zooming in on One Nation’s policies

Zooming in on One Nation’s policies

According to the polls, One Nation has seen a surge in support since last year’s federal election… Senator Pauline Hanson’s party is challenging the Coalition as Australia’s conservative party of choice - and she’s identified kicking Labor out of government as the major goal… So as One Nation shakes up this electoral cycle, this Squiz Shortcut will get you across:

• The party’s signature policies

• And who is influencing them

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Squiz the Shortcut

First up, where does One Nation sit in Oz politics?
It’s a right-wing, minor party formed by Queenslander Pauline Hanson in 1997. On its website, it says it “stands for Australia and Australian values” - it’s big on immigration cuts, ditching global climate targets, and reviving local manufacturing and industry. And it’s had a historic influx of support over the past year… 

Give it to me in numbers…
The party has had a steady rise in political polls across the board, and according to a Resolve poll in the Nine newspapers this week, Senator Hanson is now the preferred PM… Her party has moved into first place on the primary vote, sitting at 29%, ahead of Labor at 28% and the Coalition at 20%. It’s the first time a major party has been bumped from that position since WWII, and the first time support for One Nation is being seen as mainstream instead of a protest vote. 

Got it… Let’s take a look at their policies…
One issue Pauline Hanson has always spoken loudest about is immigration. So, starting there, One Nation wants to cap the total number of visa arrivals at 130,000… Currently net overseas migration (that’s the number of arrivals less the number of people leaving the country) is projected to be 295,000 for this year, and the federal government has a target of 225,000 by 2028. So we’re on track to reduce the numbers but the government argues that we rely on a certain level of migration for our economy…

How so?
Skilled migrant workers to help prop up our workforce and our tax coffers by filling jobs in sectors like construction, aged care and agriculture. But critics - including One Nation - say it’s adding to housing and cost-of-living pressures, and putting a strain on our transport, schools, and healthcare systems. Because she’s been a big opponent of immigration, Pauline Hanson is often labelled as a racist, but she says that’s not true.

Please explain…
What she rejects is the idea of multiculturalism. She argues that “there is one culture, an Australian culture” and everyone living here should adhere to our values, laws, and speak English. One Nation also wants the right to refuse entry to anyone with extremist beliefs.

What else?
Other aspects of the party’s immigration policy include restrictions on foreign home and business ownership, a minimum 8 year period before migrants can apply for citizenship or access welfare benefits like Centrelink payments, and they want to withdraw Australia from the UN Refugee Convention to stop international bodies from deciding how many people we take in on humanitarian grounds - as well as cutting back our spending on foreign aid.

So - a vastly different approach to the current government…
It is, but for some context, it’s not happening in isolation. It reflects a shift to the right that’s happening across the world with domestic issues taking priority over international commitments. The MAGA movement in the US and Nigel Farage’s Reform UK (which is polling way ahead of the major parties) are 2 more prime examples. And One Nation’s ‘Australia First’ approach doesn’t stop at the borders, it extends to its energy policy too. 

What’s its plan for energy?
One Nation wants to scrap the target of reaching net zero by 2050 and withdraw Australia from the Paris Agreement - the legally binding international climate change treaty involving almost 200 countries that came into effect in 2016… They’re climate change sceptics, and argue that transitioning to renewable energy sources is driving up power bills and hurting manufacturers and producers who rely on power for their business. 

What would they do instead?
They want to extend the life of coal-fired power stations, increase gas and fuel production, and lift the ban on nuclear energy with the aim of eventually building nuclear power plants. Basically, they don’t see our contribution to reducing emissions globally (which is just over 1%) as worth the effort and cost of us making the change. 

How has that landed?
Critics point to scientific evidence of climate change around the world as proof that it’s happening, and on the economics side of things, some experts say there’s a case for Australia to be pressing ahead with renewables because our biggest trading partners like China, Japan and South Korea are committed to net zero, and delaying the transition could leave our economy trailing behind the rest of the world. 

Turning to defence, where do they stand on that?
One area One Nation broadly lines up with the government is on AUKUS, our security agreement with the UK and the US that will see us buy and later build high-tech nuclear-powered submarines to strengthen our security in the Pacific. But One Nation argues the subs won't be delivered for years and in the meantime, it wants to raise our defence spending to 5% of our GDP, and to beef up our military faster by manufacturing more weapons and equipment here. And part of their defence plan involves compulsory national service for school leavers and unemployed young adults…

Tell me more about that…
They say a national service plan would teach discipline and life skills to young adults while boosting defence reserves. But civil libertarians argue that it infringes on basic rights to freedom of choice, and economists have flagged that the scheme could create a huge hole in the workforce and drive up inflation through wage increases… As for the overall defence spend, some financial analysts have questioned how we’d afford it, given it could result in a $400 billion Budget blowout… 

Does the party have a plan to tackle cost-of-living pressures?
Defence isn’t the only One Nation policy under scrutiny for its numbers… It plans to axe some taxes that bring in huge amounts of revenue for the government. One getting a lot of attention with voters right now is its plan to halve the fuel excise for 3 years which it says will ease cost-of-living pressures and force down grocery prices.

What other taxes does it want to cut?
As well as that, it wants to suspend charging GST on building materials for new homes up to $1 million for 5 years to help out first-home buyers, and scrap the excise on beer and spirits served in pubs, clubs and restaurants. It also plans to change up the way gas companies are taxed. 

Do the policies stack up financially?
Treasurer Jim Chalmers and some economists say the party’s maths is way out, and that if they wipe out tax revenue streams while giving tax cuts at the same time, they’ll create a huge financial hole and drive the country further into debt. But despite having its fair share of critics, One Nation’s also got some high-profile supporters like mining magnate Gina Rinehart, who, through one of her firms, recently donated a plane for Pauline Hanson to reach regional areas while campaigning. 

What’s the common thread there?
Political analysts say they’ve bonded over rejecting climate targets and on defence issues… But aside from Rinehart's support and former Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce defecting to One Nation late last year, several other wealthy donors and conservative figures have also thrown their weight and money behind the party. And that’s raised some questions about who’s influencing its policies and what their agenda is. 

Any other policy areas I should be across?
Gun laws have been in the news a lot this year in the wake of the Bondi terror attack, and One Nation's position there is that it’s “a proud champion of Australia’s responsible firearm owners and industry”. The party opposes firearm reclassification (where a type of gun is moved to a category that’s more restrictive or tightly controlled than before), ownership caps, and government buyback schemes… And another big issue that they’ve been getting some attention for lately is a policy to wind back some abortion rights for women.

What’s that about?
They want to reduce the gestational limit - that’s the legal or medical time-frame for when a person can access an abortion, which differs by jurisdiction - in states that don’t have one in place. You might’ve seen some headlines about this after Joyce recently spoke at an anti-abortion rally outside NSW Parliament House earlier this month - and Hanson herself has appeared on pro-life influencer Dr Joanna Howe’s podcast twice this year. 

Stepping back, what’s the bigger picture?
Well, while some critics say the party’s policies are divisive and don’t stack up, the swell of support in both polls and in recent election results in South Oz and in the Farrer by-election, show people are taking them seriously. It’s not the first time they’ve had a surge in popularity - they made a splash back in the 1990s when Hanson first came onto the scene, but they were mostly seen as a protest vote. This time, the numbers and polls are signalling a bigger shift to the right happening in Oz politics. 

What’s the next test?
The Victorian election is coming up in November - there’ll be a lot of eyes on the result because it could tell us whether that support is temporary or whether it’s a more permanent realignment on the conservative side of politics. 

Onto our Recommendations

Listening/watching: Karl Stefanovic’s interview with Pauline Hanson on The Karl Stefanovic Show back in January where she outlines One Nation’s policies and her political ambitions.

Listening: To the latest News Club episode where political veterans Claire and Kate discuss One Nation’s popularity and why debates about politics are resonating with so many Australians right now.  

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