AUSTRALIA ONCE seemed immune to the rise, seen in much of the rest of the democratic world, of right-wing populism. No longer. In late January polls showed One Nation, the movement of the anti-immigration firebrand Pauline Hanson, had overtaken the parties in Australia’s centre-right opposition coalition for the first time. Now attracting over 20% support, One Nation is running not far behind the incumbent Labor party, and if current trends continue could yet overtake it.
One Nation’s rise has engendered panic among traditional conservative parties. On February 13th the Liberal Party, which leads the coalition, ousted its leader, Sussan Ley (pictured), after less than nine months in the job. In pushing her out, her successor, Angus Taylor, warned that the Liberal Party is now in its “worst position” in its history. That is no hyperbole. At the most recent election, in May, the party suffered its deepest rout since it first ran, in 1946. Polls suggest it will fall even further at the next election, due by mid-2028.
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Mr Taylor, the Liberal Party’s new leader, who hails from its conservative wing, is signalling a forthcoming shift to the right on immigration. This, his supporters hope, will ease tensions in the coalition and slow the bleeding of supporters to One Nation. But the Liberals will run a different risk by lurching to the right, as they are shedding more progressive supporters in the cities. Since 2018 they have been defeated in eight of their one-time urban strongholds by independent candidates, mostly espousing traditional Liberal policies on the economy. While the Liberals’ colour is blue, these independents have become known for their use of the colour teal.
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The post Could One Nation Soon Become Australia’s Most Popular Party? appeared first on American Renaissance.
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