Pauline Hanson's One Nation (PHON), commonly known as One Nation (ON), is a right-wing to far-right political party in Australia. It is led by its founder Pauline Hanson, who is the party's president until she chooses to resign. Hanson has been a senator for Queensland since 2016 and previously served in the House of Representatives from 1996 to 1998.
The party was founded by Hanson in 1997 following her disendorsement by the Liberal Party and enjoyed an initial period of electoral success in the late 1990s. It polled second at the 1998 Queensland state election and won the third-highest vote count in both the House of Representatives and Senate at the 1998 federal election, though only winning a single Senate seat. It subsequently underwent a period of electoral decline and lull, and underwent several party splits, while retaining representation in the Parliament of Queensland until 2009. Following Hanson's return as leader, the party won four seats at the 2016 federal election and retained representation across the following three federal elections, despite several high-profile defections. The party experienced increased popularity in and following the May 2025 federal election. After the Liberal Party's leadership challenge and falling out with the Nationals, former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce defected from the Nationals and joined One Nation in December 2025. Australia's richest person, Gina Rinehart, has provided funding to the party since then. Several nationwide opinion polls were ranking One Nation ahead of the Coalition as the highest-polling party on the political right by February 2026.
One Nation's policy stances have largely been shaped by the views of its leader, sometimes referred to as Hansonism. Opposition to multiculturalism has been a hallmark of the party since its creation; it initially focused on criticism of Asian immigration and government welfare policies relating to Indigenous Australians, and later expanded to include criticism of Islam. The party's economic policies have been characterised by economic nationalism and protectionism, including opposition to foreign ownership of land and economic rationalism. Opposition to climate change action, including opposition to the expansion of renewable energy, has become a prominent aspect of the party's agenda following the election of man made climate change denier Malcolm Roberts as a senator. On foreign policy, the party has adopted anti-globalist stances including support for withdrawal of Australia from international institutions and agreements.
Contents
History
Background
In the lead-up to the March 1996 federal election, Pauline Hanson was endorsed as the Liberal Party of Australia candidate for the House of Representatives seat of Oxley, based on Ipswich, for the March 1996 federal election. At the time, the seat was thought of as a Labor stronghold. The Labor incumbent, Les Scott, held it with an almost 15% two-party majority, making it the safest Labor seat in Queensland. Because of this, Hanson was believed of having no chance of winning the seat.
Hanson received widespread media attention when, leading up to the election, she advocated the abolition of special government assistance for Aboriginal Australians and criticism of multiculturalism, resulting in her being disendorsed by the Liberal Party. Ballot papers had already been printed listing Hanson as the Liberal candidate, and the Australian Electoral Commission had closed nominations for the seat. As a result, Hanson was still listed as the Liberal candidate when votes were cast, even though Liberal leader John Howard had declared she would not be allowed to sit with the Liberals if elected.
On election night, Hanson took a large lead on the first count and picked up enough preferences from Democrat voters to defeat Scott on the sixth count. Her victory came amid Labor's near-collapse in Queensland, which saw it reduced to only two seats in the state. Hanson won 54% of the two-candidate-preferred vote. Since Hanson had been disendorsed, she entered parliament as an independent.
Early years
Shortly after being elected to federal parliament, Hanson formed the One Nation party with co-founders David Oldfield and David Ettridge. During the formative days of One Nation, Oldfield was employed by Liberal Party backbench MP Tony Abbott as a political advisor. One Nation was launched on 11 April 1997, at an event held in Ipswich, Queensland. The party was officially registered by the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) on 27 June.
The 1998 Queensland state election produced One Nation's greatest electoral success, with the ALP winning 44 seats to be the largest party in the Assembly, the Coalition winning 32 seats and One Nation winning 11 seats. During the campaign, polling for One Nation led to commentators saying One Nation might secure the balance of power in a hung parliament. During the campaign, all three major political parties suffered a decline in voter support due to One Nation having entered the fray. The National Party saw an 11.1% drop in support, their Liberal Party coalition partners lost 6.7% and Labor's vote dropped 4.0%. To the surprise of many pundits, the One Nation Party received 22.7% of the first preference vote, giving them the second largest voter turnout for any party in Queensland during the 1998 election. One Nation drew the majority of its support from regional and rural Queensland, winning nine of its 11 seats in rural and regional electorates.
With nearly 23% of the vote, One Nation gained a higher percentage of the vote than any other third party (i.e. not Labor or Coalition) at the state or territory level since Federation. This was also the only election at which a third party gained more votes than both the Liberal Party and the National Party considered separately. One Nation did well enough to render any attempt to calculate a statewide two-party vote meaningless. Additionally, it did well enough to deny Labor a majority, as seven of One Nation's seats would have gone to Labor had it not been for leakage of Coalition preferences. Had Labor won even one of those seats, it would have been able to form government in its own right. As it turned out, Labor took one of those seats a few months later in a by-election triggered by the resignation of the One Nation member.
At the 1998 federal election, Hanson contested the new seat of Blair after a redistribution effectively split Oxley in half. Hanson lost to Liberal candidate Cameron Thompson, and the One Nation candidate in Oxley lost the seat to ALP candidate Bernie Ripoll. One Nation candidate Heather Hill was elected as a senator for Queensland. Hill's eligibility to sit as a senator was successfully challenged in Sue v Hill under the Australian Constitution on the basis that she had failed to renounce her childhood British citizenship, despite being a naturalised Australian citizen. The seat went to the party's Len Harris following a recount.
Pauline Hanson's second leadership
Hanson rejoined One Nation as a rank-and-file member in 2013. Later that year, she unsuccessfully contested the Senate for New South Wales at the 2013 federal election. In 2014, Hanson was reappointed as leader by the One Nation executive. She contested the seat of Lockyer for the party at the January 2015 Queensland state election, falling 114 votes short of defeating sitting Liberal National Party member Ian Rickuss.
In 2013, it was reported by One Nation that the party had more than 5000 members, with the figure rising since Hanson returned as party leader.
In July 2015, Hanson announced that the party was renamed the original "Pauline Hanson's One Nation" and contested in the Senate for Queensland at the 2016 federal election.
In the lead up to the 2016 election, Hanson arranged a "Fed Up" tour that began in July 2015 as part of her re-election campaign, flying in a private plane to Rockhampton prior to a Reclaim Australia rally, piloted by James Ashby.
At the 2016 federal election the party polled 4.3% (+3.8) of the nationwide primary vote in the Senate. Only Queensland polled higher for the party than their nationwide percentage − the party polled 9.2% (+8.6) of the primary vote in that state. Pauline Hanson (QLD) and three other One Nation candidates − Malcolm Roberts (QLD), Brian Burston (NSW) and Rod Culleton (WA) were elected to the Senate.
Rod Culleton (WA) left the party in December 2016, after months of legal troubles and party infighting to sit as an independent bringing the number of party senators to three. On 3 February 2017, the High Court of Australia ruled that Culleton's election was invalid due to a conviction for which he was subject to being sentenced at the time of the election, notwithstanding that the conviction was subsequently annulled. The resulting vacancy was filled by a recount of the votes at the election, which resulted in Peter Georgiou taking the seat and returning the One Nation representation in the Senate to four.
On 22 May 2017, a new scandal arose when a taped conversation between Hanson and political advisor James Ashby was released. The tape showed that Ashby had supported charging One Nation candidates inflated prices for campaign materials.
Ideology
One Nation's policies and ideology have been described as based on ultranationalism, right-wing populism, populism, and opposition to immigration. Its policies have been also described as nationalist, national-conservative, socially conservative, conservative, and protectionist. Its political position has been described as right-wing, extreme right, radical right, and far-right.
Early years
In its early years, One Nation's policies were said to be synonymous with opposition to affirmative action for Aboriginal communities. Some key themes of Pauline Hanson's 1998 maiden speech were opposition to what she said were increasingly high rates of immigration from Asian countries and an argument for economic protectionist policies.
During its inception, One Nation rallied against Liberal and Labor immigration and multicultural policies which, it argued, were leading to "the Asianisation of Australia."
Former Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating denounced Hanson in a speech in 1996, saying that she projected "the ugly face of racism" and was "dangerously divisive and deeply hurtful to many of her fellow Australians."
Hanson and One Nation have disputed accusations of racism and argue that the main parties are out of touch with many Australians on the issues of immigration, asylum seekers, and multiculturalism; and have ended up adopting some of the policies One Nation initially called for. Milton Osborne noted in 1999 that research indicated Hanson's initial supporters did not cite immigration as a major reason for their support for One Nation, but instead they were most concerned about economic issues and unemployment. A 2001 study showed that One Nation had extensive informal ties and received endorsements from far-right movements due to the party requiring "the support of those groups in establishing the party and because of a convergence of interests".
Contemporary
Writer Hans-Georg Betz described One Nation and Pauline Hanson in 2019 as among "the first prominent radical right-wing populist entrepreneurs to mobilize popular resentment against a very specific target — the intellectual elite" and that in the twenty-first century where "today's army of self-styled commentators and pundits summarily dismissing radical right-wing populist voters as uncouth, uneducated plebeians intellectually incapable of understanding the blessings of progressive identity politics, Hanson's anti-elite rhetoric anno 1996 proved remarkably prescient, if rather tame." Betz also argued that One Nation differs from European right-wing parties by focusing on its own brand of populism which he termed Hansonism based on Hanson's personality and debates unique to Australian society.
Despite the party's early image as an anti-immigration party, the party has – since 2016 – run a number of migrant Chinese and Indian candidates in elections.
Political scientist Ian McAllister argues the current version of One Nation from 2017 does not have much in the way of policy beyond an "anti-establishment stance" while others have argued it has changed to focus its policies on opposition to Islam.
During the 2017 Queensland state election, One Nation disendorsed its Bundamba candidate Shan Ju Lin after her anti-gay social media post. Lin accused James Ashby of deciding on Hanson's behalf that Lin should be disendorsed. In December 2016, Andy Semple withdrew as a candidate for Currumbin, after the party told him to delete an LGBT joke on Twitter.
Various One Nation election candidates have made anti-LGBT comments, such as one saying in 2019, "The only thing worse than a gay person with power is a woman", another in 2017 calling same-sex marriage "poof poof marriage" and making the comment, "You see when we consummate a marriage kids are generally born 9 mths [sic] later when gays consummate its [sic] just bum sex for enjoyment", and a third – also in 2017 – saying that "Norwegian homosexuals" are behind a "mind control program".
Policies
Immigration and asylum
The party also calls for a travel ban on certain countries, similar to one enacted by the Trump administration in the United States. The party also supports stronger assimilation of immigrants. One Nation also seeks to withdraw Australia from the United Nations Refugee Convention and is opposed to the UN Global Compact on Migration. One Nation has been described as anti-Islam.
Following the end of lockdowns in Australia as a result of COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, the party has voiced support for establishing a zero-net immigration policy, similar to the one Australia had introduced during the pandemic. One Nation supports permitting only highly skilled migrants from culturally cohesive countries to settle in Australia.
In 2018, Hanson called for immigration numbers to be capped at 75,000 a year. In 2025, Hanson called for immigration to be cut to 130,000 a year.
The economy and employment
One Nation supports a broadly protectionist platform, saying that it would review free trade agreements and revoke any "that are not in Australia's best interest", they also wish to reimplement import tariffs. It is opposed to foreign ownership of Australian agricultural land and businesses, as well as the privatisation of water assets. Wishing to prioritise jobs for Australian nationals, it would investigate "the abuse of foreign work visas."
One Nation backed the Turnbull Government's controversial 2018 corporate tax cuts.
The party would move foreign-owned multinationals out of the corporation tax system and into a transactions based system, saying that too many of them pay no tax on profits made in Australia.
Hanson has called for industrial relations to be overhauled. Hanson has said that businesses tell her that their employees are "lazy" and too difficult to sack.
Domestic policies
The party argues for the introduction of Citizens Initiated Referenda (CIR) and states it will review the salaries and pensions paid to Australian politicians. In 2021, the Senate approved a motion tabled by Pauline Hanson which called on the federal government to reject the teaching of critical race theory in Australian schools. It also supports a ban on wearing the burqa in public spaces. One Nation has backed Hanson's comments regarding downplaying scientific consensus on climate change. During the debate on the Marriage Amendment (Definition and Religious Freedoms) Act 2017 which would legalise same-sex marriage in Australia, Hanson and other members of One Nation expressed their opposition to same-sex marriage. However, Hanson also stated the party would not take an official stance on same-sex marriage and that One Nation senators would be allowed a free vote on the issue.
One Nation is broadly anti-abortion, particularly relating to late term abortions, describing itself as "pro-life". The party favours policies such as a gestational limit for abortions, banning sex-selective abortion, and doctors' rights to allow for them to object to performing such a procedure.
One Nation wants to introduce mandatory photo ID for Medicare cards.
One Nation members and parliamentarians have criticised the increasing use of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags alongside the Australian one.
The party wants to remove building code mandates, such as removing the requirement for new dwellings to be wheelchair-compliant. One Nation also wants to reduce funding for arts and abolish the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA).
Law and order
One Nation claims it will increase rehabilitation facilities for drug addicts and introduce life sentences for drug traffickers, Pauline Hanson has previously voiced her support of medicinal cannabis but strong objection to recreational drug usage and opposition to pill testing. The party supports gun ownership but wants tougher sentences for arms traffickers. The party is opposed to any form of sharia law in Australia.
Welfare and pensions
One Nation is in favour of a substantial increase in the aged pension and disability support pension. It was reported in 2016 that One Nation had voted with the Liberal government on a number of welfare cuts.
One Nation is also opposed to increasing the age of entitlement to 70 years, and supports a $100 a week increase under the work bonus scheme for pensioners.
In 2024, One Nation cooperated with the Albanese government and minister Bill Shorten in reforming the National Disability Insurance Scheme to crack down on alleged misuse of the system and to rein in the growing costs of the program.
COVID-19 vaccines
Many politicians, commentators and scientists claim that One Nation senators have spread misinformation and conspiracies on the effectiveness and scientific basis of COVID-19 vaccines. One Nation opposes vaccine mandates, but denies being against vaccinations. However, in 2021, One Nation MLC Mark Latham said that vaccinated people should be exempt from Sydney's COVID-19 lockdown.
One Nation introduced legislation in 2021 pertaining to COVID-19 mandates, with the bill proposing banning discrimination on COVID-19 vaccination status in the fields of goods, services, facilities, employment, education, accommodation, and sport. It was supported by five Liberal-National senators; it was not passed.
Climate change and energy
One Nation senators are frequent critics of any action on climate change and have called climate science a "scam". One Nation has spread debunked conspiracy theories about climate change not occurring or being part of a plot by the United Nations. The party wants Australia to withdraw from the Paris Climate Accords.
One Nation says it is "Embracing Australian coal", supporting "baseload coal as a critical part of Australia's energy mix" and supports extending existing coal power generation capacity. One Nation also embraces Australian gas, calling it a "key national asset", wants to "lift any bans on new gas appliances in Australian households", "treat Australian gas as a strategic asset", eliminate "red, green and black tape" from the gas industry and "end the effective moratorium on offshore gas and petroleum exploration".
Voting system
In 2019, One Nation called for the abolition of full preferential voting in favour of optional preferential voting at House of Representatives elections. The announcement came shortly after Scott Morrison announced that the Liberal Party would preference One Nation behind Labor in several seats for the 2019 federal election. In Australia, optional preferential voting is currently only used for Legislative Assembly elections in New South Wales and for council elections in most warded local government areas in Queensland.
One Nation is also against the use of group voting tickets, which are currently only used for Legislative Council elections in Victoria. The party has strongly criticised Glenn Druery, a "preference whispererer" who founded the Minor Party Alliance. In the lead-up to the 2022 state election, Hanson claimed that Druery was rigging the election in favour of the incumbent state Labor government of Daniel Andrews, after a leaked video showed that Druery was trying to create a crossbench that Labor could work with. Prior to the incident, in 2017, Druery admitted that he had been directing the preferences of micro-parties away from One Nation since 1999.
Other
In March 2025, Hanson said the party wants Australia to leave the United Nations, the World Health Organization, and the World Economic Forum, cut funding for the National Disability Insurance Scheme and abolish the National Indigenous Australians Agency and the Department of Climate Change.
Voter base and donors
One Nation has historically performed best in Queensland and in regional areas, especially Central Queensland, Darling Downs and Wide Bay–Burnett regions of Queensland and the Hunter Valley region of New South Wales. Demographically its supporters are more likely to be older, more Anglo and based in regional or the outer suburbs of cities.
A 2026 Roy Morgan Research poll found that European migrants to Australia were bigger supporters of One Nation than Asian migrants.
Early assessments
Surveys of voters at the 1998 federal election and the 1998 Queensland state election found One Nation voters were more likely than other voters to be male, residents of rural electorates, blue-collar workers and firearm owners. On measurements of political views, One Nation voters were distinguished by their anti-immigrant and anti-Aboriginal sentiments and by their dissatisfaction with or alienation from the political environment. On metrics of union membership, economic insecurity and identification as members of the working class, One Nation voters were nearly identical to Labor voters. However, a clear majority of One Nation voters were former Liberal and National voters rather than former Labor voters.
Recent assessments
In March 2026, The Australian conducted a statistical analysis of One Nation's performance at the 2026 South Australian state election, the first state election since the party's surge in popularity in late 2025 and one of the first occasions on which the party had fielded candidates in all seats. The analysis found that swings towards One Nation were the largest in seats with low rates of postgraduate education, high rates of low-income earners, and high percentages of blue-collar workers. The party enjoyed its strongest support in rural and outer suburban areas.
Notable supporters
After Barnaby Joyce joined One Nation in 2025, he confirmed that billionaire businesswoman Gina Rinehart, Australia's richest person, was providing funding to the party, along with other donors he brought with him. Rinehart lent Hanson, and later Cory Bernardi, her private jet on multiple occasions, including in South Australia, where this contravened the state's laws on political donations. Bernardi said that he would repay Rinehart for the flights. Hanson has not declared multiple flights in other parts of the country.
A 2019 report found that Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party had received over $6,000 in disclosed donations from pro-gun groups during the 2011–2018 period, with concerns these donations threatened to compromise Australia's safety by undermining gun control laws. In 2019, Hanson was filmed soliciting donations from the American National Rifle Association.
Election results
Leaders
Federal
Unlike the Queensland state leadership, the changes of the federal leadership of the party were largely undocumented (besides Hanson's terms), due to previously having low media attention and confusion of branch leadership within the party.
In August 2017, the party's constitution was changed so that Hanson would be party President for as long as she may wish, and to choose her successor, who may also continue until resignation.
Members of Parliament
Current MPs
Cory Bernardi MLC (2026–present)
Carlos Quaremba MLC (2026–present)
Rebecca Hewett MLC (2026–present)
David Paton MP (Ngadjuri, 2026–present)
Robert Roylance MP (Hammond, 2026–present)
Jason Virgo MP (MacKillop, 2026–present)
Chantelle Thomas MP (Narungga, 2026–present)
Rikkie-Lee Tyrrell MLC (Northern Victoria, 2022–present)
Rod Caddies MLC (2025–present)
Phil Scott MLC (2025–present)
Luke Herdegen MLA (2026–present)