Australian Politics

Pauline Hanson’s highly publicised meetings with controversial far-right figures in the UK will drive international eyeballs to her content and continue building the global brand – and that’s by design, far-right experts say...

“A big part of One Nation’s success is that the media consistently, since 1996, have provided her [Hanson] and her party with disproportionate media coverage on platforms relative to their electoral footprint.

“[Now they’re] attaining publicity, but also creating their own content so they’re able to connect with supporters and disseminate their message without the interference or mediation of journalists.”

Jordan McSwiney, an expert in far-right politics at the University of Canberra, said he would have once urged media not to cover One Nation’s stunts but with her rise in popularity, “the horse has bolted”.

McSwiney said the best approach politicians and mainstream media could take was to focus on explaining who these figures are behind the scenes.