Category: Politics and Society

Alt Text: "John Howard during Tampa crisis and Pauline Hanson in fish shop representing political appropriation of One Nation rhetoric"

Ask Not What You Can Do for One Nation—But What Has One Nation Ever Done for Anybody?

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If Helen of Troy had the face that launched a thousand ships, Pauline Hanson has the face that launched a thousand chips. But the real story isn’t about Hanson at all—it’s about Long John Howard, who stole her racism in the 1990s, laundered it through the language of sovereignty and security, and left both major parties trapped in a political theatre he built thirty years ago.
One Nation polls at 14% between elections but collapsed to 6.4% in May—the evergreen boost that never makes it to the ballot box. Yet even with Anthony Albanese’s historic landslide, Labor still governs within Howard’s frame, still talks tough on “border security,” still uses his language. The government changes. The script endures.
From Barnaby Joyce playing pantaloon to Hanson serving up warmed-over resentment with extra chicken salt, this is how we all ended up living in Howard’s Australia.

“Albanese’s side offers rare-earth ore across a Washington negotiation table while a neglected submarine model sits out of focus — symbolising minerals over missiles.”

The Real Deal: Why Critical Minerals Matter More Than Submarines

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Nobody in Canberra gets the Trump 2.0 administration. When Albanese meets Trump on 20 October, Canberra will bang on about submarines. The real conversation should be critical minerals—where Australia actually has leverage and America has desperate need. China controls the supply chains that power everything from semiconductors to missiles. Australia can break that stranglehold. If we’re smart enough to see it.