Pauline Hanson is emerging as a central force in Australian politics nearly three decades after entering federal parliament, as growing economic anxiety, concerns over immigration and dissatisfaction with mainstream parties fuel renewed support for rightwing populism.

The resurgence of Hanson’s One Nation has intensified pressure on both the governing Labor Party and the opposition Liberal-National Coalition, with both major political blocs adjusting policy positions in response to shifting voter sentiment.

This month, One Nation secured its first federal lower house seat after defeating conservative candidates in the rural electorate of Farrer, a district long considered a stronghold of the Coalition. The result followed gains in South Australia’s state election earlier this year and marked a significant breakthrough for a party that for years struggled to convert national attention into sustained parliamentary representation.

Angus Taylor described the Farrer byelection outcome as an “existential moment” for the Coalition, which has faced internal instability and declining support since its defeat in the 2025 federal election.The rise of One Nation mirrors broader international trends in rightwing populism associated with figures such as Donald Trump in the United States and Nigel Farage in Britain.

Hanson’s messaging has focused heavily on immigration, opposition to climate policies and criticism of political institutions, themes that analysts say resonate with economically insecure and politically disillusioned voters.

Former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce, who defected from the National Party of Australia to One Nation last year, said voter frustration was being driven by fears of economic decline and a perceived lack of long-term national direction.

“There is a frustration, there is a malaise,” Joyce said. “People feel they are going to hand to their children a lesser nation than their parents handed to them.”Hanson first entered national politics in 1996 after being disendorsed as a candidate for the Liberal Party of Australia over controversial remarks about Indigenous Australians.

Running as an independent, she won the Queensland seat of Oxley and used her maiden parliamentary speech to attack multiculturalism and warn that Australia risked being “swamped by Asians.”Her rhetoric made her one of the country’s most polarizing political figures. In 1997, she co-founded One Nation, which rapidly gained traction, particularly in Queensland.

The party secured 11 seats at the 1998 Queensland state election, though Hanson herself later lost federal representation despite receiving the highest primary vote in her electorate under Australia’s preferential voting system.Hanson spent nearly two decades largely outside federal politics, a period that included failed campaigns, internal party disputes and a prison sentence for electoral fraud convictions that were later overturned on appeal.

She returned to the Senate in 2016 and remained a prominent figure through a series of controversial campaigns focused on immigration, Islam and national identity.Among the most widely criticized incidents was her appearance in the Senate chamber wearing a burqa in support of proposals to ban the garment, an act she repeated in 2025 and which resulted in a parliamentary suspension.

Despite persistent controversy, One Nation’s electoral support continued to grow. The party secured 6.4% of the national vote at the 2025 election, roughly doubling its previous result.Its momentum accelerated after a mass shooting at a Hanukkah gathering in Sydney’s Bondi area in December that killed 15 people. Authorities described the attack as allegedly inspired by the militant group Islamic State.

Hanson and Joyce attended memorial events for victims while simultaneously linking the incident to broader immigration and security debates.Polling conducted after the attack showed One Nation overtaking the Coalition in some voter surveys, particularly in working-class outer suburban areas where dissatisfaction with housing affordability and cost-of-living pressures has intensified.

The Coalition’s response has included a more aggressive stance on immigration and border policy following the appointment of new leadership after its 2025 defeat. Political observers say the party is increasingly attempting to reclaim conservative voters shifting toward Hanson.

At the same time, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and the governing Australian Labor Party have also adjusted policy positions amid concerns that economic insecurity is driving support for populist movements.

Labor this week abandoned an earlier election commitment not to alter tax concessions benefiting property investors, part of a broader housing affordability package intended to address rising public concern over home ownership access among younger Australians.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers framed the policy shift as a response to broader political and economic pressures reshaping democracies globally.“We’re doing what’s necessary, not what’s convenient, at a time of extraordinary, accelerating change in the world playing out in our economy and society,” Chalmers said.

“And when you look around the world, from Farage to Farrer the choice this moment presents for parties of government is clear.”Chalmers argued Labor remained “the sensible centre” of Australian politics while acknowledging that both major parties were under growing pressure to respond to rapidly changing voter expectations.

As One Nation expands beyond its traditional regional and protest-vote base, analysts say the party’s influence is now being measured not only by seats won, but by its ability to shape the national political agenda and force strategic recalibrations from Australia’s two dominant parties.

The federal inquiry found that Australia’s Jewish community “was the evident target of the attack,” in which Sajid Akram and his son Naveed allegedly opened fire on crowds gathered at the Sydney beachfront suburb on Dec. 14, marking the country’s deadliest mass shooting in three decades.

An email sent by the Community Security Group to police before the event warned that “a terrorist attack against the NSW Jewish Community is likely and there is a high level of antisemitic vilification,” the report said.Police responded that they could not provide dedicated officers for the Hanukkah gathering but said mobile patrols would be sent to “check in and monitor the event,” according to the inquiry.

The commission said police should consider strengthening security arrangements for Jewish celebrations that have a strong public presence, particularly during periods of heightened threat.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Thursday the federal government would implement all recommendations made by the inquiry and pledged stronger protections for the community.“I can assure the Australian public that the government will do everything necessary to protect the community in the wake of the Bondi attack,” Albanese told reporters.

Asked whether police had failed to adequately monitor the Bondi event, Albanese said operational responsibility rested with the New South Wales state government.The royal commission, Australia’s highest form of public inquiry, is examining intelligence failures, police preparedness and the broader rise of antisemitism across the country following the attack.

It said Australia’s counter-terrorism capabilities “could be improved” and recommended an immediate review of leadership structures and information-sharing arrangements between agencies responsible for national security and counter-terrorism.

The shooting triggered widespread debate over antisemitism in Australia, public anger over the protection of Jewish communities and renewed political pressure to tighten gun control and hate crime laws.

Victims’ families wrote an open letter in December urging Albanese to establish a federal royal commission into what they described as the rapid rise of antisemitism in Australia.“We demand answers and solutions,” the letter said.

Sajid Akram, 50, was shot dead by police during the attack. His 24-year-old son Naveed, an Australian-born citizen, remains in custody and has been charged with terrorism offenses and 15 counts of murder.

The inquiry is being led by former High Court judge Virginia Bell and is expected to continue examining evidence through public hearings over the coming months.