30 years ago, she caused outrage with her words that Australia would be "flooded" by Asians. Pauline Hanson is still using the same rhetoric today, but her right-wing party is now leading in some polls.
"I can govern. I have no doubt." This was the answer that 72-year-old Pauline Hanson gave at the end of July when asked if she would take on the role of prime minister. She is the founder of the right-wing populist party "One Nation" (One Nation) and is currently experiencing a real political rise, writes ARD.
At the end of July, her party led the polls for the first time, overtaking the ruling Labor Party of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. The results surprised many.
"For a long time she was considered a political outsider. Nobody thought she had a chance. And now she has become a kind of center of Australian politics," notes the editor-in-chief of the daily newspaper "The Australian" Claire Harvey.
With a burqa against Muslims
Henson has been involved in politics for more than 30 years. Her short red-orange hair and constant verbal attacks, especially against migrants, are characteristic of her, the publication emphasizes. Even before she was elected to the Australian House of Representatives, she made a name for herself with her controversial statements regarding indigenous peoples. A little later, in her first parliamentary speech in 1996, while still a member of the Liberal Party of Australia, she warned: "We are all in danger of being overrun by Asians".
20 years later, her rhetoric is the same, only the image of the enemy has changed: "Now we are in danger of being overrun by Muslims". Photos of her wearing a burqa in parliament in 2017 have gone around the world. This was a kind of call for a ban on this part of the clothing, explains the German public media.
Surprising success of an old concept
Political scientist Benjamin Moffitt commented on the development of Hansen and her party as follows: "They never changed their strategy - the message is still the same, as is their leader. There have been some changes, but nothing significant to explain this success".
The question remains why Hansen is succeeding with her strategy right now. Some observers explain this by the rising cost of living. "At the moment, there is a feeling like in almost every Western liberal democracy - life is getting harder and harder, inflation seems to be getting out of control. Wages are not growing, and there is also an exceptional housing crisis," Moffitt summarizes. And the "One Nation" party promises simple solutions in this regard - and above all less migration.
"This is a typical far-right party, such as those that have recently appeared in large numbers in Europe. The difference is that "One Nation" has existed since 1997, i.e. it is almost three decades old.
Because the others failed?
Some of the blame for Hanson's success probably lies with the other parties, says Peter Beatty, former premier of the Australian state of Queensland from the Labor Party. "The major political parties have failed. They are not dealing with the issues that are important to ordinary Australians."
"One Nation" is winning in the polls mainly among older people, among men and among less educated voters. Hanson presents himself as one of them. She constantly highlights her past, ARD points out: she ran a fish and chip shop, is a mother of four children, and has been divorced twice.
Henson herself claims that she has almost nothing to do with the political elite. But she enjoys the support of billionaire Gina Rinehart, who is considered the richest woman in Australia and is a supporter of Donald Trump. However, Henson likes to play the role of the "little man".
"One Nation" exploits the weakness of the political center
Political scientist Benjamin Moffitt identifies the changes in the Australian party landscape as a crucial basis for Pauline Henson's success. According to him, the conservative center is very weakened. The Liberal Party is in a kind of identity crisis and has left a political vacuum. "The right-wing populists have taken over and there is no sign of that changing anytime soon," he was quoted as saying by the ARD.
The next Australian general election is two years away - plenty of time for the established parties to make up for lost ground. In May, "One Nation" won its first seat in the House of Representatives, a political success for Pauline Hanson that would have been unimaginable to many just a few years ago.