|
All of a sudden, headlines about One Nation seem inescapable. After years of hovering in the single-digits in the polls, the party is now posting results as high as 25%. You’d be forgiven for using Pauline Hanson’s famous catchphrase, please explain?
Far-right politics experts Kurt Sengul and Jordan McSwiney do just that, looking at how anti-immigration sentiment and the Coalition’s breakdown have helped fuel the party’s ascendancy.
But they also point out One Nation’s long history of dysfunction. Can Hanson and Barnaby Joyce overcome years of scandals, mistakes and infighting to turn strong polling into seats at an election, which remains years away?
Joyce himself is bullish about the party’s chances. He told Chief Political Correspondent Michelle Grattan he’s determined not to repeat past mistakes, both personal and political, to capitalise on the moment.
But as recent weeks have shown, politics is a fast-moving beast. Only time will tell if this is another blip on the radar, or the beginning of a much bigger change.
|
|
Erin Cooper-Douglas
Public Policy Editor
|
|
Kurt Sengul, Macquarie University; Jordan McSwiney, University of Canberra
Pauline Hanson’s party has been dysfunctional and scandal-ridden for its entire existence. Capitalising on strong polling will mean changing decades-old patterns.
|
Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra
Joyce says ‘I’m not going to be wearing a burqa’ like the One Nation leader – but his relationship with her is stronger than his ‘bitter’ end with the Nationals.
|
Meg Elkins, RMIT University
The RBA will be hoping Australians respond to this rate rise in three ways: spending less, saving more and not asking for big wage rises.
|
Duygu Yengin, Adelaide University ; Andrew Taylor, Charles Darwin University; Maneka Jayasinghe, Charles Darwin University; Rohan Best, Macquarie University
Australia’s energy system favours households with wealth, secure housing and flexibility – leaving millions exposed as heatwaves intensify.
|
Hrvoje Tkalčić, Australian National University
As the United States and Russia signal a return to nuclear testing, Australia’s remote monitoring station plays a crucial role in global verification.
|
Rod Thornton, King's College London; Marina Miron, King's College London
Kyiv is being told to give up territory which forms its main barrier preventing Russia from sweeping across Ukraine.
|
Brendon Hyndman, Charles Sturt University
A new study surveyed 130 primary and high school teachers about their views on school break times.
|
Politics + Society
|
-
Rohann Irving, Flinders University; David Rowe, Western Sydney University
Anthony Albanese states he’s taken more action on problem gambling than any government since Federation. How does this claim stack up?
-
Adrian Beaumont, The University of Melbourne
Australia has long had preferential voting, and it is the best system for safeguarding our democracy.
-
Nicola Macaulay, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa – Massey University
NZ appears to be widening its defence and surveillance capabilities across the region, raising questions about strategic alignment, transparency and independence.
|
|
Health + Medicine
|
-
Samantha Thomas, Deakin University; Martha Hickey, The University of Melbourne
Women are frustrated at being bombarded with marketing for menopause ‘solutions’ that don’t work or overstate the benefits.
-
Meaghan O'Donnell, The University of Melbourne; Tracey Varker, The University of Melbourne
People who work in emergency services, such as firefighters, are more likely than others to develop symptoms of anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress.
|
|
Environment + Energy
|
-
Elle Bowd, Australian National University; David Lindenmayer, Australian National University
There’s a new plan to manage Victoria’s forests. But if it uses machines to ‘thin’ trees this could affect wildlife and increase bushfire risk.
|
|
Science + Technology
|
-
Jon Cornwall, University of Otago; Sabine Hildebrandt, Harvard University
The use of AI copies of the dead for medical training remains hypothetical, but the technology to make them exists, raising questions about what it means to be dead.
-
Wellett Potter, University of New England
The idea of digital immortality raises many legal questions – and most of them don’t have a clear answer.
|
|
Arts + Culture
|
-
Emery Schubert, UNSW Sydney
Music occupies your ears. That leaves your eyes – and your hands – free to get on with the job.
|
|
Books + Ideas
|
-
Darius von Guttner Sporzynski, Australian Catholic University
Over centuries, artists and censors have employed the humble fig leaf to cover the penis – including on Michelangelo’s ‘unmistakably male’ David.
|
|
|
|
|
Protect our principals
“Violence against school principals is not unique to our government schools. Working in the education sector for 25 years, I have heard of increasing incidents regularly across all education sectors. If violence is not acceptable against our police or ambulance staff, why do parents, students, and some staff think it is okay to direct violence upon school principals? Higher fences, more security and locked gates around schools will not fix this issue. Looking upstream to the causes of violence and resourcing violence prevention is critically important.”
Jacqueline Van Velsen
Where’s the support?
“I am sad to read the stories of people broken by school principalship. I wonder if good support is still available to school staff. There used to be colleagues and an Employee Assistance Program (EAP). There were appropriate Staff Welfare Officers to provide advice and information and promote services alongside capable people in regional administration. I know that a lot of disruption was made in the late '90s. What is the situation in 2026? What is being done?”
Allen Hampton OAM, Coburg 
The Voice, again
“It seems the further away from the Voice referendum we get, the more its failure is romanticised by the left: ‘The Voice would have renewed Australian democracy. Its failure leaves us all worse off’. I voted No for the Voice, not because I oppose a real Aboriginal Voice in Australian politics, but because what was on offer was a cynical exercise in white politics that was concocted to give the appearance of giving a voice to Aboriginal people (thereby appeasing Labor and Green supporters) while in reality doing nothing at all (thereby appeasing conservatives). Before any real Voice can be set up, a Treaty is needed. Sadly, given the way the Australian
political system is set up, this will never happen.”
Gavin Oakes, West Melbourne
We'd love to hear from you. You can email us with your thoughts on our stories and each day we'll publish an edited selection.
|
| |
|
|
|
The Conversation AU/NZ
Melbourne VIC, Australia
•
Full Time
|
|
|
|
|
Featured Events, Courses & Podcasts
|
View all
|
|
|
|
