One Nation's Ascent Marks a Political Nightmare in the Making
Australia's political landscape is teetering on the brink of a dangerous transformation, as the major parties' failures create a vacuum that fringe groups like One Nation are poised to fill. Former independent MP Zoe Daniel has issued a stark warning about this escalating threat, highlighting how internal dysfunction and a lack of bold reform are undermining democracy.
A Coalition in Disarray and a Complacent Labor Government
The federal Coalition, as of 2026, is depicted as deeply fractured, with personal ambitions overshadowing national interests. Meanwhile, the Labor government, comfortably seated with 94 members, appears more focused on political point-scoring than addressing pressing issues. This squabbling and tinkering have eroded public trust to its core, leaving a void that extremist forces are eager to exploit.
Daniel, who narrowly lost the seat of Goldstein to the Liberals in 2025, expresses not joy but deep apprehension over the Coalition's demise. She criticizes their post-election abandonment of climate policy, which she argues betrays future generations, and their role in fanning xenophobia and societal divisions over issues like housing, immigration, and international conflicts.
The Senate Balance of Power Nightmare
Imagine a Senate where figures like Pauline Hanson and Barnaby Joyce hold the balance of power, or where a One Nation coalition dictates policies for both the Liberals and Nationals. This scenario, once unthinkable, is now a plausible nightmare as the opposition's disarray fails to provide a reasoned, policy-focused alternative to Labor.
Daniel emphasizes that a functioning opposition is critical to democracy, a point she made to her Liberal opponent Tim Wilson after conceding defeat. However, less than a year later, she doubts its retrievability, noting that even massive election spending by fossil fuel-funded proxies like Advance and Australians for Prosperity cannot mask the values deficit between the Nationals and Liberals.
Moderates in Name Only and the Rise of Independents
Contrary to claims that community independents have worsened the problem by removing moderate Liberals, Daniel argues that these so-called moderates are ineffective, voting along party lines without challenging populist shifts to the right. This has allowed the National party's culture war positions on Indigenous rights and climate to dominate, despite their lack of resonance in urban seats.
Independents like Daniel stepped forward as alternatives precisely because of this failure, yet media outlets often overlook their policy contributions, preferring combative political theatre that drives clicks.
Struggling Australians and the Need for Brave Reform
While political dramas unfold, Australians face mounting bills, mental health crises among youth, unaffordable housing, and environmental disasters like floods and fires. Long-term structural changes in tax, housing, and intergenerational equity remain in the too-hard basket for both major parties.
Daniel notes that crossbenchers drive most policy discussions in parliament, but their efforts are underreported. The government, meanwhile, avoids tough reforms, opting for short-term tinkering and reveling in the opposition's collapse as cover for its own inaction.
A Threat to All Australians
One Nation's rise is not just a political shift but a threat to societal stability. New election donation laws that disadvantage independents could compound this danger. Drawing from her experience as ABC's US bureau chief during Trump's election, Daniel observes that disappointed voters may seek disruption over dignity, mirroring trends that led to Trump's victory.
She concludes that doing nothing carries as much risk as taking action, and for Australians enduring cost-of-living pressures and a bleak future outlook, incremental changes will not suffice. The time for brave reform is now, lest One Nation's nightmare become Australia's reality.
