One Nation is capitalising on Australians’ economic pessimism like never before. Is a ‘stagflation impulse’ to blame?
The Guardian – World
theguardian.com
Summary
By tying housing costs to immigration, Pauline Hanson promises a simple solution to a multilayered problem Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast In the three decades since Pauline Hanson entered federal politics, Australia has experienced numerous bouts of voter frustration with the mainstream parties. But it is only lately that the negative sentiment towards the majors has propelled One Nation to unprecedented polling numbers and delivered Hanson higher net approval ratings than the prime minister and opposition leader. Households feel this “stagflation impulse”, as some economists describe it, through a cost-of-living squeeze accompanied by fear for their financial future, which often includes job insecurity. The difference this time, according to Jordan McSwiney, a researcher who has examined far-right movements, is that One Nation has been able to tie housing affordability concerns and other economic ailments to immigration. “Economic policy and housing are not really territories that One Nation is usually comfortable on,” says McSwiney, a research fellow at the University of Canberra’s centre for deliberative democracy. “This kind of link between immigration and housing allows them to address issues that are very front of mind to people, like the economy, but address it from their preferred terrain. “One Nation is doing a bit of a bait and switch, in that they use the context of housing and the economy to talk about what they really want to talk about, which is immigration.” The party also links cost-of-living pressures to its campaign against net zero emissions and renewables, which provides another well-established talking point for Hanson. AMP’s chief economist, Shane Oliver, says policymakers need to get the balance right on immigration and avoid drastic cuts that result in labour shortages and the economy struggling with the costs of an ageing population. One Nation’s intention to firmly blame housing costs and other economic ailments on immigration is clear, with Hanson arguing at her National Press Club address last month that “immigration policy has our country in the state of crisis”. The Coalition has already explicitly linked migration rates to housing supply , giving One Nation’s own policy mainstream legitimacy . The problem for Labor is that there’s no quick fix to the problem of housing, ensuring it will still be a major electoral issue over the next two years. McSwiney says Labor is tasked with the “long, slow process of announcing policies that are going to improve people’s everyday lives, and then delivering on those”. “That is what might take the wind out of One Nation’s sails, but that’s a long game. I’m sure the Labor party is very thankful that this spike in One Nation’s polling has happened at this point in the electoral cycle, and not six months out from an election. “For the Coalition , they need to get their act together, and present a serious opposition.” Jonathan Barrett is Guardian Australia’s business editor
From the source
By tying housing costs to immigration, Pauline Hanson promises a simple solution to a multilayered problem Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast In the three decades since Pauline Hanson entered federal politics, Australia has experienced numerous bouts of voter frustration with the mainstream parties. But it is only lately that the negative sentiment towards the majors has propelled One Nation to unprecedented polling numbers and delivered Hanson higher net approval ratings than the prime minister and opposition leader. Continue reading...
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Published by The Guardian – World on theguardian.com
