As one of Australia’s most influential and well-established minor parties, One Nation represents in the eyes of its supporters what Australian democracy should have looked like from the onset—a political system run in the interests of ‘the little people,’ who often find themselves disenfranchised, voices unheard, by the sweeping big-tent platforms of the Labor-Liberal ‘uniparty,’ as One Nation Senator Malcolm Roberts is in the habit of saying. One Nation, then, like other minor parties worldwide, inspires within its followers a sort of aspirational hope—in the eyes of many, it is the party that, unconstrained by size or the need to appeal to a broad majority of voters, can speak its mind freely about the more unsavory aspects of public policy, topics which often go unsaid by the impersonal blue and red monoliths in Canberra but which still remain close to the heart of Australian voters.  

Of course, this has inspired no shortage of detractors—One Nation’s policies can be polarizing at best, with considerable emphasis on the likes of immigration, social security and aboriginal affairs. Additionally, as politics reminds us time and time again, honesty and frankness are values that seldom go unappreciated in the public square. In the time since their inception in 1997, when the fiery orange party exploded onto a political scene many observers considered to be long-stagnant, One Nation has always run on a populist platform, asserting that the two major parties are severely out of touch with the concerns of ordinary Australians, who continue to support them out of general indifference towards politics. As such, they advocate for many policies that go broadly against the grain of contemporary Australian politics, striving to make pragmatic policy decisions that align themselves with the apparent unspoken political sensibilities of the ‘ordinary’ Australia. 

The selective curtailing of immigration, for example, is one of their primary platforms, with the argument being that an influx of immigrants overwhelms social services and the Australian free market, forcing Australians out of their jobs whilst rapidly inflating housing prices in the midst of skyrocketing demand.  

Similarly, they promise to turn back much of the state’s investments in unreliable renewable energy, namely solar and wind, in favor of the far more dependable (but slightly less cost effective when renewables are at full operating capacity) coal, as well as nuclear, working, they justify, in favor of regular Australians instead of pandering to supranational bodies comprised of the unelected.  

This, in a sense, encapsulates the enduring spirit of One Nation—it is, at least in the minds of their supporters, the party whose conscience lies firmly with the best interests Australian people— it is not the party of self-serving elected politicians from the ponderous uniparty, nor the myriad of petty unelected bureaucrats dictating policy, expenditure and government sensibilities at the microscopic level, and less still the party of internationalism or of globalism. Instead, it is very much the ‘Australia-first’ party, one which supposedly sets aside broader ideological considerations or international commitments and cooperation in favour of pragmatic, sensible policies that benefit ordinary Australians first; an ideal which surfaces again and again in their policies. These policies naturally reflect such populist drive, and are broadly as follows: 

Energy 

Ensure the construction of efficient and low-emissions coal-fired power plants is to ensure that Australians always have access to stable, cheap electricity, regardless of time of day or weather. These lighter, more efficient systems will serve to supplant the other major contributor to Australia’s prospective energy mix—Nuclear—whose stations will remain online at all times for many decades, with the nation (or state, in this case) shouldering considerable upfront costs in order to reap their benefits downstream. One Nation also wishes to further bolster Australia’s energy security by amassing oil reserves that will ensure the self-sustainability of the nation for up to 90 days, as well as foster the capacity to refine fuels in Australia as to ensure fuel security and the affordability of such an essential public good. Finally, it is important to note that the party does not advocate for any sort of ban on renewables, but rather the curtailing of government subsidies, allowing for renewables to remain competitive in a free-market system should they have a genuine appeal to investors.  

Economy 

Much of One Nation’s political platform revolves around the creation of an economy that is both prosperous and geared towards the best interests of Australians. For one, this would take place by pragmatically adhering to basic principles of economics in order to manage inflation, and its downstream effects on cost-of-living. Such actions would include placing a hard limit on public spending, reducing the amount of money that is created through borrowing (via the fractional-reserve banking system) or curtailing credit access to public companies or government agencies (i.e. Queensland Rail), de-incentivizing them from borrowing to undertake large-scale projects and thus decreasing the supply of money and curbing the rate of inflation. The party also intends to considerably increase the subsidy offered to tradesmen and women whilst in their apprentices, as to ensure their continued ability to sustain themselves whilst they acquire the skills necessary to provide essential services to society and to forge a viable career path.  

They also put heavy emphasis on domestic manufacturing, aiming to establish Australia once again as a major manufacturing hub in the Indo-Pacific, establishing protectionist trade barriers and investing heavily in Australian manufacturing in the image of the East Asian economic model to foster the development of a domestic Australian manufacturing scene. Interestingly, they identify rent prices as being a key catalyst for economic concern, in much the same manner as the Greens have done, but instead advocate for the removal of government-imposed taxes on the rental of rooms and ancillaries (i.e, granny flats) in order to assist Australians in regaining a foothold over the housing market.  

Immigration and Foreign Ownership 

 In much the same vein as the above point, One Nation proposes a complete ban on the foreign ownership of property, citing foreign investment into residential properties as sending the supply of houses skyrocketing. This then has the effect of decreasing the average Australian’s purchasing power in the Australian housing market, forcing Australians out of their own housing market in the face of foreign investors who don’t intend to so much as step foot in their Australian properties.  

One Nation also cite immigration as being amongst their key issues, allowing essential government services to focus on existing Australian residents and citizens, as opposed to overstretching themselves in the face of greatly inflated demand. As such, immigration is to be sharply curtailed, with a focus on encouraging skilled immigration from culturally cohesive countries. This is a federal matter, but nonetheless forms part of One Nation’s state platform.  

Public Services 

One Nation’s stance on the matter of public services is one that is broadly in line with the rest of their platform, with their literature focusing on ensuring the integrity of the system so that the people who are  most in need of such services can continue to benefit from them without evading personal responsibility or placing undue strain on the Australian taxpayer. Such policies would revolve around mandating the inclusion of photo ID on Medicare cards in order to prevent fraudulent claims, as well as stringent inhibitions on the duration an individual can enjoy the likes of unemployment benefits, thus combating long-term fraudulent unemployment payments. This will serve to ensure the availability of public funds for the individuals for whom the scheme is intended, such as pensioners, for whom One Nation proposes a $100 weekly rise in payments, at the expense of individuals who are capable of working but who rely on said public funds through the exploitation of Australia’s generous social security schemes. Again, whilst this is a federal matter, it is one that forms part of One Nation’s identity as a political entity, and is thus worth mentioning. 

Crime and Punishment 

One Nation assumes roughly the same stance as the LNP on the matter of crime, and especially youth crime, advocating for the removal of protections afforded to youths simply on account of them being slightly under the age of majority and ensuring that they remain very much accountable for their actions.  

Democracy and Civil Liberties 

One Nation was famously extremely vocal on the matter of personal freedoms, and encourage both a typical ‘small government’ approach that is broadly libertarian along with the establishment of transparent processes of review for seemingly opaque and bureaucratic government agencies and the creation of novel platforms for communities to enact change within the political system, such as in the encouragement of periodic U.S-style town hall meetings between elected officials and constituents. They also encourage the establishment of compulsory civics education for senior high school students. It also goes unsaid that One Nation stands strongly for continued and unrestricted freedom of speech and expression and the protection of the personal rights to property ownership, as well as fairness for all Queenslanders under the law—One Nation have long made it clear that their vision for Australia is one of complete and total equality, and thus strongly oppose any attempts by government to divide our populace by gender, sexual orientation, religion or race. The party makes it resoundingly clear that, in the view of their followers, equality is a fundamental tenet of government, of policy, and of democracy itself, and thus fight to ensure that there exist no pieces of legislation or public policy that afford individuals special privellige or distinct treatment over immutable facets of their humanity, and work towards creating a level playing field for the all Queenslanders. They also assert that public assistance should be afforded based solely on need, and not over race, again working to ensure that taxpayer assistance makes its way to those who need it most, regardless of ethnicity.  

Of course, plurality is the name of the game in politics, and no party goes without its detractors and critics—many of their policies are downright offensive to many Australians, and their commitments to civil freedoms, especially the unrestricted freedom of speech, go especially unappreciated by young urban-dwellers, for whom limited government intervention and liberty is only secondary to other matters (or a tact approach to individual’s emotional sensibilities), which are perhaps better addressed by the two incumbents or other minor parties. 

 In trying to place a finger over the political pulse of IES, the Underground conducted a number of interviews with members of the IES student body as to determine just what their attitudes were towards One Nation as an entity and some of their stated goals. The results were, for the most part, negative, with students dismissing One Nation’s platform for a number of reasons, including xenophobia and racism, seemingly incoherent policies, especially with respect to the scope of a state (as opposed to federal) election, as well as their energy policies, which some believe to be economically detrimental in the long term.  

Others, however, approved of their intention to ‘downsize’ government and reform public services for the benefit of the most vulnerable in society, as well as their intentions for economic management and the combating of crime, including the increased surveillance of shipments into Australia in order to decisively disrupt the supply of illicit drugs entering the country and wreaking havoc on communities and families.  

All in all, then, One Nation remains as somewhat of an outlier in the world of Australian politics, but follows a platform tried and tested the world over, with an emphasis on nationalism, populism and a pragmatic, no-nonsense approach to politics that comes to many of its supporters as the metaphorical ‘breath of fresh air’ in a political system some have come to see not only as inept, but also as ponderous and too hesitant to address the issues that really matter to Australians for fear of overstepping the boundaries of the politically correct. One Nation, it seems, cares for none of that—it is an approach that has garnered much support but little sympathy for its candidates nation-wide, but which remains central to One Nation’s spirit as a minor party. Regardless, then, of your opinion on the embattled orange tent, liberty is an exercise in choice, and the presence of One Nation as a viable bearer of hope and reform doubtless bears witness to the solidity and robustness of our culture as Australians, those people who still harbor the dream of meritocracy and who still inhabit the land of the fair go, where political plurality is celebrated and where Australians continue to stand as the arbiters of their own destiny. One Nation affirms that we still live in that Australia, and exits no doubt as a valuable contribution to our great political system. 

Dedicated to One Nation Senators for Queensland Malcolm Roberts and Pauline Hanson.