CANBERRA — A escalating war of words between Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has thrust political rhetoric and security into the national spotlight, coinciding with a historic win in a Western Australian state by-election and a surge in national polling for the minor party.
Hanson accuses PM of inciting violence
Senator Hanson on Monday accused Albanese and Treasurer Jim Chalmers of “pouring petrol” on political discourse, claiming their language was fueling threats against her and her party. The accusation followed remarks Albanese made a day earlier at the Queensland Labor conference, where he branded “hard-right populists” as “dangerous, divisive and downright dishonest” and urged Labor members to campaign against parties that “have no serious answers to our problems,” naming One Nation specifically.
Hanson said the criticism had gone too far, telling reporters she has received a wave of death threats and that “a prime minister should know better than that.” She pointed to the July death of British politician Ann Widdecombe — now the subject of a counter-terrorism murder investigation — as evidence of the dangers facing elected officials. Hanson has since been assigned additional Australian Federal Police protection, with security also stepped up at her home.
Government rejects incitement claims, points to extremism concerns
Labor figures pushed back firmly. Attorney-General Michelle Rowland said Hanson should instead scrutinize her own party, describing One Nation as dangerous “in multiple ways” and citing its association with “convicted criminals” and members linked to extremist and neo-Nazi views. Assistant Minister Patrick Gorman echoed the government’s position, calling One Nation “dangerous, populist and dishonest.”
Hanson demanded Rowland retract her comments and apologize, accusing her of slandering One Nation’s supporters while minimizing threats made against them. “Millions of Australians support One Nation. They are not extremists,” Hanson wrote on social media, arguing the government should examine why voters are leaving the major parties rather than vilifying them.
The dispute comes as ASIO Director-General Mike Burgess has described Australia’s security threat environment as “flashing red,” citing a rise in politically motivated violence and harassment.
One Nation’s electoral momentum
The clash follows a run of strong results for One Nation. The party won its first-ever lower house seat in Western Australia’s parliament over the weekend, with candidate Luke Herdegen capturing the previously safe Labor seat of Secret Harbour in a state by-election. A Newspoll released Sunday night compounded the momentum, showing One Nation leading the national primary vote at 30 percent, narrowly ahead of Labor’s 29 percent, with the Coalition at 19 percent and the Greens at 13 percent. On preferred prime minister, Albanese led with 46 percent to Hanson’s 31 percent, while Coalition leader Angus Taylor trailed under 25 percent.
One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce credited the surge to voters’ “dry pragmatism” and rejection of what he called a political “closed shop” between the major parties.
Hanson unveils energy policy amid Victorian campaign
Campaigning ahead of Victoria’s November state election, Hanson announced an energy platform calling for a small number of nuclear reactors on the east coast alongside taxpayer funding to keep the coal-fired Loy Yang plant running. She distanced the proposal from the Coalition’s broader nuclear plan, which struggled to gain traction under former leader Peter Dutton ahead of the 2025 federal election. One Nation’s plan is costed at $6.8 billion, based on reactor-building precedents in South Korea.
Energy analyst Tony Wood of the Grattan Institute questioned the figures, noting Australia lacks the specialized nuclear workforce required and that comparable projects abroad — such as Britain’s Hinkley Point, estimated near $66 billion AUD — suggest the cost estimate is unrealistic. “You couldn’t pick up a nuclear power station from South Korea and drop it in the Latrobe Valley,” Wood said.
Internal tensions and legal battles
Farley has also faced internal tensions over the party’s migration policy, after suggesting its effective migration intake could be closer to 230,000. Hanson rejected that interpretation and reaffirmed One Nation’s 130,000 target. Speculation has since emerged that Farley could leave the party, although Barnaby Joyce has denied that he is planning to quit.
Separately, Hanson has said she will seek special leave to appeal to the High Court after losing her Federal Court appeal in the case brought by Greens Senator Mehreen Faruqi, who successfully argued Hanson racially discriminated against her by telling her to “piss off back to Pakistan.” Earlier this year, the AFP investigated but ultimately cleared Hanson of hate speech violations over comments questioning the existence of “good Muslims.”
