Pauline Hanson's highly publicised meetings with controversial far-right figures in the UK are designed to drive international eyeballs to her content and build a global brand, far-right experts say. The One Nation leader is visiting on a "fact-finding mission" with her chief of staff, James Ashby, meeting some of the UK's most divisive personalities.
Meetings with far-right figures
Hanson's meet-and-greets have included pop star turned radical-right figure Holly Valance, Reform UK officials, and far-right activist and convicted criminal Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon. The Queensland senator will also appear in an upcoming long-form podcast with Robinson, known for his anti-Islamic activism and support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Yaxley-Lennon has a long criminal record, including a five-year stalking protection order and two contempt of court convictions. He was jailed in 2024 for repeating false claims about a 15-year-old Syrian refugee in defiance of a court injunction.
Digital strategy and pseudo events
Dr Imogen Richards, a criminology researcher at Deakin University, said announcing or appearing on podcasts with contentious counterparts is akin to a "pseudo event" that generates publicity. "The aim of these types of manoeuvres by more fringe political actors is to shift the Overton window and move the parameters of public political debate rightward," she said.
Richards noted that Hanson's rise in popularity means her decisions cannot be ignored or dismissed as mere attention-grabbing. "What [Hanson's] doing is building international far-right alliances and signposting them," she added.
Attention economy and victim narrative
Researchers for the anti-fascist group White Rose Society said the meetings serve the "attention economy" with a shared hostility "against non-white people." A spokesperson said: "We think in reporting on this, it's important to identify the agenda that the people involved are trying to push and avoid furthering it."
Dr Kurt Sengul, a far-right researcher at Macquarie University, said One Nation actively seeks scandal and controversy. "Unlike mainstream parties, who do everything possible to avoid controversy, far-right parties actively seek scandal and derive benefit from even negative coverage," he said. This plays into their victim narrative against establishment media and politics.
Content creation and media coverage
Sengul said One Nation's content-creation strategy is effective, publishing popular videos that reach millions of voters. "A big part of One Nation's success is that the media consistently have provided her disproportionate coverage relative to their electoral footprint," he said. "[Now they're] attaining publicity, but also creating their own content to connect with supporters without media mediation."
Jordan McSwiney, an expert in far-right politics at the University of Canberra, said the "horse has bolted" on ignoring One Nation's stunts. He urged politicians and media to focus on explaining who these figures are behind the scenes. "Don't tell the story that Tommy Robinson wants you to tell," he said.
Federal opposition leader Angus Taylor warned disaffected voters that supporting One Nation "isn't worth the eternity of pain that will follow." He told ABC radio: "They're a one-person show. Their policies are incoherent."
