Opposition Leader Angus Taylor has launched his strongest attack yet on Pauline Hanson's One Nation, warning that a One Nation government would trigger a surge in inflation and force the Reserve Bank of Australia to lift interest rates by about three percentage points. In a speech to the Sydney Institute on Thursday night, Taylor dismissed the party as a "column of smoke" incapable of fixing Australia's problems, predicting it would spend a trillion dollars without lifting living standards or economic growth.
Taylor's dire warning to potential One Nation voters
"To those who feel like lighting a match, believe me when I say that a moment of satisfaction isn't worth the eternity of pain that will follow," Taylor said. "One Nation claims to offer a way out of our national malaise. In reality, they would only make things worse." The speech comes as Hanson met far-right British activist Tommy Robinson during a visit to Britain, highlighting the party's controversial alliances.
Taylor accused Hanson of having bad policies, poor judgment, and worse personnel, insisting she could provide no answers for Australians who feel left behind or lied to by Labor. He called One Nation "a one person show," criticising Senator Malcolm Roberts for describing the US as the "world's greatest terrorist organisation" and newly elected MP David Farley for voting with the Greens and teal independents.
One Nation's rising poll numbers
One Nation has grown from single-digit support to passing the Coalition and even Labor in recent opinion polls. The party had primary support of 29% in the most recent Newspoll and Resolve rankings, while last week's Guardian Essential poll found its primary vote dropping two points to 26%. Taylor used the speech to argue that the Albanese government has dramatically increased spending without improving living standards, but said One Nation would be worse by doubling down on "big government interventionism."
"Their top four financial commitments alone could cost the budget in the order of a trillion dollars over a decade," Taylor said. "And they have no clear or credible plan for how they'd pay for these commitments. One Nation's promise to abolish parts of the bureaucracy would cover perhaps just one-fifteenth of these commitments."
Economic impact of a One Nation government
Taylor warned that a Hanson-led government would generate a surge in inflation, forcing the RBA to lift interest rates by about 3 percentage points, increasing the budget deficit, and even risking a sovereign debt crisis. "Their only alternative is deeper cuts to essential services – pensions and Medicare chief among them," he said. "That's why I warn that an eternity of pain would follow a One Nation government. You will not fix our nation's problems by blowing up the joint."
Hanson is in London ahead of her expected attendance at CPAC Great Britain next week, alongside right-wing figures including Reform UK leader Nigel Farage and former UK prime minister Liz Truss. She will also feature on Robinson's podcast. Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, co-founded the Islamophobic group English Defence League and has convictions for violence, public order offences, and fraud. In a social media post, he described Hanson as one of the "bravest lady's on the planet" and "hopefully the next leader" of Australia.
