Zoe Daniel, a former ABC foreign correspondent and independent MP, accuses Pauline Hanson of employing a Trump-like playbook: making controversial statements, then walking them back or denying them, while blaming the 'fake news' media for misrepresentation.
Hanson's Comments on Violence Against Women
The most recent example involves Hanson's remarks about violence against women. On Brisbane radio station 4BC, she said: "It is wrong, but it's also a two-way street." She added: "I'm not saying that it's just men, women can lose their cool as well. Society is under so much pressure … Everyone is under so much pressure, and it's really hard." She also advised abused women to leave: "If these women are getting abused by men out there, then don't put up with it."
Daniel notes that intimate partner violence is overwhelmingly perpetrated by men, and that leaving is the most dangerous time for women and children. The remarks caused an outcry, provoking Hanson to claim her comments were misrepresented. She posted on social media: "Here's exactly what I said on 4BC about domestic violence, so you don't get it twisted by the media or the Labor Party." She added: "There is a concerted effort by some in the media to constantly take my comments out of context."
Media's Role and the Trump Playbook
Daniel compares Hanson's approach to Donald Trump's strategy during the 2016 US presidential campaign, when he received an estimated US$5.9bn in free media coverage, more than double Hillary Clinton's, while underspending her campaign. Trump simultaneously vilified and bypassed mainstream media, building a direct audience on social media while legacy media chased ratings by broadcasting his unchecked diatribes. By the time factcheckers mobilised, the post-truth era had arrived, and factchecking no longer resonated with the average person.
One Nation is now borrowing heavily from this playbook, Daniel writes. Hanson's gaslighting over the White Australia policy, "no good Muslims", paid parental leave, and violence against women mirrors Trump's tactics of making statements then walking them back or denying them.
Pattern of Controversial Statements
Daniel cites a long pattern of behaviour. In her maiden parliamentary speech in 1996, Hanson said: "I believe we are in danger of being swamped by Asians." More recently, she told Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi to "pack your bags and piss off back to Pakistan", which led to a federal court finding of unlawful racial discrimination and vilification under the Racial Discrimination Act.
Despite this, parts of the media continue to facilitate Hanson's rise while appearing surprised at the outcome. Channel Seven's Spotlight program was snookered by Hanson's team when it either participated in or helped organise her trip around Europe, where she met rightwingers and hung out in Italy with Gina Rinehart. Seven denies arranging the meetings, and Hanson accused the program of misrepresenting its intentions. However, the network got the ratings, and Daniel suggests the argy-bargy may have been confected to achieve that.
The Risk of One Nation's Rise
Daniel argues that as mainstream media loses influence to social media, legacy organisations feed the algorithm to survive. But the more Hanson is freely platformed as clickbait rather than properly scrutinised, the more likely it is that One Nation will find its way to power. She asks who will take responsibility for that.
