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.

In the video which received 1M views, Almenhali said Emiratis, including himself, had recently been targeted by online attacks that framed nationality as an insult. He rejected the characterization of the exchanges as rivalry or banter, describing them instead as racist behavior that relied on reducing an entire nationality and culture to a derogatory label.

“This is not rivalry, this is racist,” Almenhali said in the recording. He added that using nationality as an insult amounted to discrimination regardless of intent, and said such language reflected prejudice rather than legitimate criticism.

The video, shared on his X account, was presented as a direct response to what he described as repeated online comments. Almenhali did not address governments or public institutions, focusing instead on individual online behavior.

Framing of India and historical references

Almenhali’s remarks included references to India’s historical role in global civilization. In the video, he cited contributions he attributed to India in areas such as mathematics, medicine, astronomy, trade and philosophy, and argued that these achievements undermined any attempt to use “Indian” as a pejorative term.

He also linked those historical references to the modern global economy, saying contemporary technologies and systems relied on foundations developed over centuries. His comments framed the use of nationality as an insult as historically inaccurate, according to his remarks.

UAE and expatriate partnership

Almenhali also addressed the role of Indian expatriates in the UAE, saying the country had built partnerships with skilled professionals rather than merely accommodating them. In the video, he referred to engineers, doctors, entrepreneurs and builders from India as contributors to national development, describing this approach as a deliberate policy choice.

“The UAE didn’t tolerate Indians, it partnered with them,” he said, characterising that relationship as one based on mutual benefit and capability rather than weakness. He added that attempts to demean people through racial language failed to account for this dynamic.

His remarks positioned multicultural cooperation as integral to the UAE’s development model and rejected narratives that portray diversity as a liability.

Online discourse and wider implications

Almenhali’s video circulated widely online, drawing responses from users across the region. The comments were confined to social media and did not prompt any official statements from authorities. No government response had been issued by the UAE or elsewhere at the time of publication.

Almenhali ended the video by urging viewers to recognize the difference between criticism and racism, and said that the use of racial slurs reflected on those employing them rather than on their intended targets.