Was Pauline Hanson seeking attention or riding on ratings surge with burqa stunt?

Sustaining her party's momentum could be tough as she struggles to broaden her appeal

- Jonathan Pearlman

Australia's right-wing firebrand Pauline Hanson's One Nation party has unexpectedly soared to record popularity, fuelled by concerns about migration and a slump in support for the centre-right opposition.

Sustaining this momentum, however, could prove difficult, as Ms Hanson struggles to broaden her appeal.

"Pauline Hanson is well known and supported by a much older group of Australians, and absolutely loathed and disliked by younger Australians," polling expert Kos Samaras told The Sunday Times.

Almost 30 years after Ms Hanson, now 71, burst onto the political scene and made global headlines for her anti-Asian and anti-Aboriginal views, One Nation has been backed by as much as 18 per cent of voters in recent opinion polls.

The latest Newspoll survey published on Nov 24 found that One Nation, which holds four seats in the 76-member Senate, is favoured by 15 per cent of voters. This compares with 36 per cent for the ruling Labor Party, 24 per cent for the Liberal-National Coalition, 13 per cent for the Greens, and 12 per cent for others, the poll conducted from Nov 17 to 20 found.

These ratings mark a stunning boost for One Nation, which won 6 per cent of the Lower House vote at the May 2025 election and just 5 per cent at the 2022 election. The party's popularity started rising after Labor's landslide election victory in May, which left the Coalition weakened and divided.

But most analysts doubt that the party will become a third force of Australian politics alongside Labor and the Coalition.