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HomeAUUnpacking Pauline Hanson's Rising Popularity: What One Nation Truly Represents

Unpacking Pauline Hanson’s Rising Popularity: What One Nation Truly Represents

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One Nation is on the rise after decades as a fringe political party and has enjoyed a surge in popularity on the back of criticising the federal government’s policies on just about everything from immigration to abortion.

Pauline Hanson, in her first speech to parliament, sparked controversy by stating that she believed Australia faced the threat of being “overrun by Asians.”

Hanson’s stance against immigration and multiculturalism has consistently been a cornerstone of One Nation’s political agenda for nearly thirty years. This position continues to be one of her most contentious policies.

Pauline Hanson One Nation
Pauline Hanson’s One Nation is on the rise. So what does she stand for? (Graphic: Polly Hanning)
Voter support has quickly skyrocketed too – according to the The Australian Financial Review/Redbridge Group/Accent Research survey, One Nation is up from nine per cent to 26 per cent, making it the country’s second most popular political party.

One Nation reports a remarkable surge in its membership, claiming a 500% increase since the federal election in 2025.

“We are establishing branches in every federal electorate. High-profile leaders like Barnaby Joyce and Cory Bernardi bring additional strength to the party,” a One Nation spokesperson told nine.com.au.

“Australians are well aware of Pauline Hanson’s positions on key issues, seeking the leadership they feel is lacking from Anthony Albanese or Sussan Ley,” a spokesperson conveyed.

But what exactly are the principles of One Nation, and what vision does the party hold for Australia’s future?

Hanson claims on her website that Australia’s immigration system is “broken”.

Hanson has called on Australia to cut immigration by 570,000 people, to deport visa holders who break the law, to withdraw from the UN Refugee Convention and to deport 75,000 “illegal immigrants”.

The One Nation leader has frequently blamed immigration for house prices and wage stagnation.

In 2016, Hanson told the chamber she believed Australia was “in danger of being swamped by Muslims who bear a culture and ideology that is incompatible with our own”.

Senator Pauline Hanson wears a burqa in the Senate at Parliament House in Canberra on November 24, 2025. fedpol Photo: Dominic Lorrimer
Hanson wears a burqa in the Senate at Parliament House in Canberra on November 24, 2025. (Dominic Lorrimer)

Hanson has also voted against several motions for letting families return home from immigration detention, most notably the Biloela family.

Hanson has proposed an urgent reform of the country’s foreign ownership and investment rules.

This would involve banning all foreign purchases of Australian homes and forcing current foreign owners to sell their homes, along with banning the sale of freehold farmland to foreign investors.

The party also claims that slashing immigration by 130,000 visa holders would reduce housing demand.

“With a crucial shortage of housing stock in Australia, we must stop the sale of property to non-residents and non-citizens,” Hanson states on her website.

The party has called for a five-year GST moratorium on building materials for new homes valued up to $1 million.

One Nation said it is also committed to “removing mandatory disability compliance requirements for all new homes”.

Hanson has previously blamed immigration levels and foreign students as the root cause of Australia’s skyrocketing house prices.

At the same time, Hanson has repeatedly voted against measures to increase housing affordability, including the Help to Buy Bill in 2023.

Hanson has warned Labor’s hate speech laws, passed in the aftermath of the Bondi terror attack, are “dangerous” and claimed the legislation threatens the right to freedom of expression.

One Nation states that it wants to enshrine “open debate, free expression, and the rights of all Australians to speak their minds without fear” in the constitution.

“We will push for constitutional protection of free speech and work to repeal any laws or government bodies that restrict it,” the party states on its website.

“Censorship, speech regulations, and bureaucratic overreach that silence Australians will be dismantled.”

Tax return for individual. Australia tax settlement. Financial and business concept. Calculation and manual filling of the form. close up
Hanson has almost always voted in favour of reducing taxes for high-income earners. (Getty)

Hanson’s cost-of-living proposals are mostly targeted at immediate, short-term relief for households.

This includes electricity bill reductions, fuel price relief and permanently scrapping the excise tax on beer and spirits in pubs.

“One Nation continues to develop and update policies on the issues which matter, releasing our signature energy policy to dismantle net zero and reduce energy prices in December last year– rising energy costs are the single biggest factor in the rising cost of living,” a One Nation spokesperson said.

One Nation has also claimed Medicare is being “rorted” by billions of dollars and wants to crack down on fraud.

The party has previously spoken about its plan to simplify income tax and lower the corporate tax rate in Australia.

This proposal was swiftly criticised for only targeting high-income earners.

Hanson has called for Australia to pull out of the Paris Agreement, claiming carbon emission cuts are “economic suicide”.

The One Nation leader has also denied climate change is man-made, despite the overwhelming scientific evidence.

The One Nation senator claims to back a scientific approach to climate change, but at the same time denies there is evidence to prove that global warming is the catastrophe that the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) says it is.

Hanson has generally voted against climate change mitigation strategies.

Member for New England Barnaby Joyce and One Nation leader Senator Pauline Hanson during a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra on Monday 19 January 2026. fedpol Photo: Alex Ellinghausen
New England MP Barnaby Joyce and One Nation leader Senator Pauline Hanson. (Alex Ellinghausen)

One Nation describes itself as “pro-life”.

Hanson said her party wants to roll back abortion laws in Australia, including reducing the gestational limit for abortions.

She also wants to reinstate a doctor’s right to a “full conscientious objection” to abortion.

Hanson was not in the Senate chamber for the vote due to her ban.

“We won’t allow Labor to scapegoat lawful firearm owners for Anthony Albanese’s failure to allow radical Islam and antisemitism to go unchecked and unchallenged in Australia,” a One Nation spokesperson said.

The party says it supports “responsible gun ownership”.

“We do not believe that further stringent measures or regulations are required regarding licensing,” One Nation’s website reads.

“One Nation calls for stricter border security and tougher sentencing for gun crimes and traffickers.”

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