Google AI
The Times Australia

Times Media Advertising

One Nation’s long march from protest vote to political force

  • Written by: The Times

The Labor leader

For decades, Pauline Hanson and One Nation have occupied a unique position in Australian politics.

Critics dismissed the movement as temporary. Supporters saw it differently. They believed the party spoke to frustrations that neither Labor nor the Coalition fully understood.

Now, after years of political turbulence, rising living costs, social division and public distrust in institutions, One Nation is once again making headlines across Australia.

The rise has not been sudden. It has been gradual, persistent and decades in the making.

Pauline Hanson first emerged in the national conversation during the 1990s, at a time when many Australians felt uneasy about globalisation, immigration pressures, manufacturing decline and the changing cultural direction of the country. Those concerns never entirely disappeared. In many communities they simply remained beneath the surface, waiting for political conditions that would allow them to re-emerge more strongly.

That moment may now have arrived.

Labor’s difficulties in office, combined with an opposition many voters regard as ineffective or uninspiring, have created political space outside the traditional major party system. Australians frustrated by rising household costs, housing affordability, energy prices and social tensions are increasingly willing to look elsewhere.

Labor itself appears aware of the risk. The party’s continued fundraising efforts and warnings about right-wing populism suggest concern about shifting voter sentiment, particularly in outer suburban and regional electorates where economic pressures are intense.

The Coalition faces a different challenge. After electoral defeats and internal division, conservative voters are increasingly questioning whether the Liberal and National parties still represent traditional Australian values or the priorities of working households. Some Coalition strategists believe the future lies in reconnecting with voters who want stability, national confidence and what many describe as a return to more cohesive and optimistic times.

This does not necessarily mean Australians are seeking radical change. Rather, many appear to be searching for certainty, cultural familiarity and political leadership that feels grounded in everyday life rather than ideological battles.

That environment suits One Nation.

The party’s support base has often been underestimated because it does not always dominate inner-city political conversations or elite media circles. Yet support for Hanson has consistently existed across regional Australia, outer suburbs, small business communities and among older voters who believe the country has changed too rapidly.

Importantly, many of these voters do not see themselves as extremists. They see themselves as ordinary Australians who feel politically overlooked.

One Nation has also benefited from broader international political trends. Across Europe and North America, voters have increasingly shifted towards populist or nationalist movements during periods of economic uncertainty and cultural change. Australia is not isolated from those forces.

Social media has further altered the political landscape. Smaller parties no longer rely entirely on traditional media exposure to reach voters. Messages can spread directly, particularly among audiences who already distrust mainstream political institutions.

Still, One Nation’s path forward is not guaranteed.

Australia’s preferential voting system makes it difficult for minor parties to achieve large-scale parliamentary dominance. The party’s influence often depends less on winning government and more on shaping national debate, influencing preference flows and forcing major parties to respond to issues they may prefer to avoid.

That influence, however, can still be substantial.

The major political lesson from One Nation’s continued relevance may be this: political dissatisfaction ignored for long enough eventually reorganises itself into electoral power.

Many Australians clearly feel the country is under pressure. Mortgage stress, rent increases, energy costs, migration pressures, stretched infrastructure and declining trust in institutions have created a sense that national cohesion is weakening.

Whether voters ultimately turn to One Nation in larger numbers remains uncertain. But what is increasingly clear is that Pauline Hanson’s political longevity was never simply about personality.

It reflected a section of Australia that believed its concerns were not fully heard.

For years those voters existed quietly in the background of Australian politics. Now, as economic and social pressures intensify, they are becoming harder for Canberra to ignore.



The One Nation Leader

Subcategories

Australia

Australia’s credit card squeeze: it is not just mortgage holders feeling the pain

For years, the national conversation about household financial stress in Australia has centred on mortgage inter...

Private health insurance in Australia: worth the cost or an expensive necessity?

Private health insurance remains one of the most debated household expenses in Australia. For some families it i...

Hints of downward change for property prices: do the numbers show a trend?

Australia’s property market may be showing the first subtle signs of change after years of extraordinary growth...

Times Magazine

Why Australian Enterprises Are Rethinking Their Core Communication Technologies

The corporate landscape in Australia has undergone a permanent structural shift over the past few ...

Road safety risk: New data reveals almost 2 in 3 Australian drivers are letting car maintenance slide as cost of living pressures bite

Australians are putting off vehicle maintenance and new research released on the eve of National R...

Woodroffe footy club BBQ legend crowned in national Bunnings search

Bunnings has found its latest community hero, naming Brent Tanner from Darwin Buffaloes Football C...

VoltX Energy expands into Victoria & ACT to meet surging home battery demand

Leading Australian energy solutions provider VoltX Energy and premier sponsor of the NRL Manly Wa...

Victorian Drivers To Receive 20% Rego Rebate From June 1 In Major Cost-Of-Living Measure

Victorian motorists will begin receiving significant registration savings from June 1 as the Allan...

How Australian Businesses Are Using AI To Cut Costs And Improve Efficiency

Artificial intelligence was once viewed by many small business owners as something futuristic, exp...

Quickest Way of Getting Rid of Your Old Cars in Brisbane?

If you are done searching for a practical solution for quickly getting rid of your old car, this w...

The Human Supplement Craze Has Officially Gone to the Dogs (Literally)

Australians’ appetite for supplements is no longer limited to their own vitamin cabinets. New reta...

AI Guilt: It’s Real — But it is irrational

Artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming one of the most powerful tools ever made available to ...

The Times Features

The battle that changed the war: how Ukraine’s stand at…

When historians eventually examine the defining moments of the war in Ukraine, they may conclude t...

The Great Indoors: Commune Group Has Every Reason To Ge…

From Ramen Nights To $15 Pho And Midweek Set Menus, Commune's Southside Venues This Winter Tokyo Ti...

Why Australians need to rethink new apartments after th…

As the Federal Government pushes to accelerate housing supply and incentivise new residential deve...

SpaceX goes public: how Australians can invest in Elon …

One of the most anticipated share market listings in history is about to take place, with Elon Mus...

Property markets react to budget signals before laws ar…

Australia’s property market has already begun reacting to the federal budget announcements despite...

The evolution of bread in Australia: from basic staple …

For generations, bread was one of the simplest and most affordable foods in Australia. A loaf sat...

Australian football fan Forest Robinson scores a Champi…

A solo competition trip to Budapest became a night in Heineken’s Skybox and pitchside celebrations a...

Why fit matters more than fashion

Fashion changes constantly. Colours come and go. Trends rise and disappear. One year oversized cl...

Why Your Backyard Pool Is One of the Best Investments Y…

The Gold Coast backyard has always punched above its weight. Long summers, reliable sunshine and a c...