It was almost 10 years ago when the unthinkable happened. Sitting in an American-style diner on a bright November day, I watched as the results came in. State after state had voted for a man most people I knew and the opinion polls thought unelectable. Washed up reality TV star Donald Trump was to become the 45th president of the United States.
Randy, the American who ran the diner in regional NSW, took it better than I did. He was a Democrat and had assumed Hillary Clinton would win. When it was clear she hadn't, he shrugged and said, "Oh well, that's democracy" and accepted the result with grace.
Fast forward and the unthinkable happened again in 2024, when Trump was re-elected, in spite of the chaos he wrought during his first term and the violence he incited after it. History is littered with terrible leaders once thought unelectable.
And the unthinkable is threatening to happen on our shores, with a party and leader long dismissed as a fringe sideshow now polling as the most popular among Australian voters.
Like Trump, Pauline Hanson and One Nation are tapping into frustration and resentment among voters who feel the political system has failed them. It's a terrible whinge-fest, big on complaint, short on solutions. And, also like Trump, mired in chaos and confusion.
Last week, it was the housing policy. Barnaby Joyce plunged off the planter box when asked whether non-citizens would be thrown out of their homes if they failed to sell them within two years of *shudder* One Nation winning government. Yes, it would apply to non-citizens, no wait, I'll have to check, Sky News was told in a trainwreck interview.
Clarity of sorts came days later when Pauline herself said the policy would apply only to foreigners, not permanent residents. She ought to tell her website designers as well because it still says the following: "With a crucial shortage of housing stock in Australia, we must stop the sale of property to non-residents and non-citizens."
Barnaby was at it again this week, whining that "people who look like they've recently arrived" are crowding dinki-di Aussies out on the housing market. Never one to let the facts get in the way of stoking division, Barnaby ignored Tax Office figures which show only .05 per cent of all property purchases made in 2024-2025 were by foreigners. A bit rich coming from the bloke disqualified from parliament in 2017 because he held dual New Zealand citizenship.
That said, it would be a grave mistake to assume Barnaby couldn't possibly become deputy PM again under a Hanson government. With Tweedledum and Tweedledee leading government and opposition, the prospect firms up with every passing week. These two abjectly colourless pollies are doing an abysmal job selling their parties' policies.
One Nation might have no coherent policies but that doesn't matter. They've got the electorate's attention because their gibberish makes a change from Albanese's managerial mumbling and Taylor's perpetual affront. Barnaby's big dumb hat and Pauline's flaming red hair stand out in a sea of grey. They've become celebrities and brought showbiz to Australian politics. And, like Trump, they're not afraid to offend. Muslims one day. Australians who look like foreigners the next.
All of which makes me nervous. The unthinkable is entirely possible as long as there's no one compelling enough to capture our attention and counter it.
HAVE YOUR SAY: Are Anthony Albanese and Angus Taylor capable of fending off One Nation? Is it time they stepped aside and let younger, more convincing politicians rise to the One Nation challenge? Email us: echidna@theechidna.com.au
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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
- The Coalition says it is open to working with Pauline Hanson to oust Labor from power as the major parties blame migration and the economy for the rise of One Nation.
- The Reserve Bank's next interest rate move is more likely to be down than up, economists at National Australia Bank say.
- More nations are putting the brakes on gas, with the resource losing market share for the fifth year in a row and passing its peak in almost half the countries that use it.
THEY SAID IT: "It doesn't matter if you're famous or infamous. All that matters is you're a celebrity." - Willie Geist
YOU SAID IT: Shopping should be pleasant but so many stores and sales assistants do their best to make retail therapy retail torture.
Rowan gets frustrated with big hardware stores, call centres, pharmacies and cafes: "If there is an over-the-counter medication and I want to buy it, I don't expect to have to explain why to a shop assistant or pharmacist. I'm buying eye-drops or a topical cream not heroin! Cafés irk me. Why can't I have mushrooms on toast? You have mushrooms as a side, you have bread, but because there is no button on the till for mushrooms-on-toast they won't provide it. For maximum annoyance you can't beat airlines. Booking with Deathstar and then changing your mind shortly afterwards incurs monstrous fees and the price of the changed journey suddenly is almost double. Non-refundable anything should be banned. Customer service is a thing of the past these days."
"Living rural, online is a blessing for Christmas and birthdays but now I have to travel twice as far to collect the parcels as local post office has closed," writes Vena. "But until the day I'm too old and decrepit to drive, I'll never buy groceries online, even though I hate grocery shopping."
Graeme writes: "I liked the more personal dealings with people in stores when shopping, in the 1950s and 1960s, like the local milk bar, as opposed to in one end and out the other, 'McDonald's processing'. If it is baroque, 1950s and 1960s, I don't care how loud the music gets. With the latter, I start tapping my toes - well what do you expect at me age?"
"The big box stores recruit professionals so they can display their photos at the front door and then recruit schoolchildren at junior rates to actually run the shop when penalty rates cut in," writes Brian. The majority of sales are in the penalty rates time so the so-vaulted 'professional advice' is nowhere to be seen for the average punter."
Arthur writes: "I use online shopping only for something which is not available locally. It is difficult to get an accurate idea of things online. I agree that being able to see and touch the item is just so superior to looking at pictures or reading a description. Having talked to a salesperson I often feel obliged to purchase the item even when I am not completely convinced it is what I want."
"I prefer being able to see what I'm buying at a bricks and mortar store," writes Deb. "With the unreliable sizings in women's clothes, I have found that buying online usually results in disappointment and the hassle of returning the item. But like you, I have been driven out of stores by the loud music. Woolworths and Coles are doing their best to force shoppers online by having poorly stocked shelves and cluttered aisles and playing loud music. And don't get me started on having to shout to be heard over the music at restaurants! Business owners could vastly improve their customers' experience just by turning down the volume (or better still, turning it off)."
Scott writes: "I detest online shopping and it is rare I do this. I never order takeaway food either. I like engaging with the assistant and generally have no issues even in large hardware stores. I do find I become invisible in cafes and restaurants though."
