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By Susan Davies
IN 1998 I was a rookie Victorian MP, elected as an Independent in a 1997 rural byelection protest vote. The then rampant Kennett government was trampling over rural communities and people were very cranky (as they are again now).
Pauline Hanson was crowing at the eight One Nation MPs who'd been elected in Queensland (before they started to abandon her party). Convinced she could make a dent at the coming federal election, she was planning to tour conservative rural Gippsland and beyond to make her mark in Victoria, as she is again now.
In those days Jeff Kennett had a spine and rejected her divisive, anti-migrant message (unlike now). I went beyond my own Gippsland West patch into central Gippsland with a message on WIN TV. "There is no kindness, care or community in Pauline Hanson's politics,” I said. “This is not us, this is not our communities, not rural Victoria. Send her packing.”
IN 1998 I was a rookie Victorian MP, elected as an Independent in a 1997 rural byelection protest vote. The then rampant Kennett government was trampling over rural communities and people were very cranky (as they are again now).
Pauline Hanson was crowing at the eight One Nation MPs who'd been elected in Queensland (before they started to abandon her party). Convinced she could make a dent at the coming federal election, she was planning to tour conservative rural Gippsland and beyond to make her mark in Victoria, as she is again now.
In those days Jeff Kennett had a spine and rejected her divisive, anti-migrant message (unlike now). I went beyond my own Gippsland West patch into central Gippsland with a message on WIN TV. "There is no kindness, care or community in Pauline Hanson's politics,” I said. “This is not us, this is not our communities, not rural Victoria. Send her packing.”
And Gippsland and the rest of rural Victoria largely did send her packing. Attendances in Gippsland were pretty poor and heckling was frequent. She never came back.
That message still stands all these years later. There is no kindness, care or community in Pauline Hanson's politics!
That message still stands all these years later. There is no kindness, care or community in Pauline Hanson's politics!
In those days she was mostly picking on Asian migrants, the very people from all parts of Asia and South East Asia who now form such a vital, active part of every Australian community. These days she mostly picks on Muslims. Same rubbish message.
We are so lucky as a country that people still want to come here. Yes, we all agree the numbers needed to be reduced from their post-covid highs, as they are being reduced. But developed countries who've traditionally rejected migration are now in serious trouble, with aging populations, and not enough young people to care for the old. We're lucky. People are still coming to fill the roles we need to be filled; to pay the taxes we need for services.
Rural people in this country look after each other. They volunteer in their communities. They work together. They are kind. They care about community. They build community. Good people, often doing it tough, but caring for each other. That's a good way to live! It's not Hanson's way.
I urge those in rural Victoria particularly, but all over our state, not to be led by her fake outrage, her divisive messages, her fake orange hair, all so like Trump's divisive messages and similarly fake orange skin tones.
If you want to change your vote, look for a good, sensible, caring member of your community who'll stand as an Independent and speak up for your region. Or get in there, join one of the existing parties and work to make them develop some decent policies and processes! They're all desperately need new blood. Make them be better at governing, or at being an Opposition, because we need both.
Being cranky without doing something constructive is useless. Voting for Hanson's mob is useless. She can whinge, but she doesn't do much else … apart from take freebies from Gina Rinehart, the richest woman in Australia who's been sued by her own offspring for allegedly ripping them off.
We are so lucky as a country that people still want to come here. Yes, we all agree the numbers needed to be reduced from their post-covid highs, as they are being reduced. But developed countries who've traditionally rejected migration are now in serious trouble, with aging populations, and not enough young people to care for the old. We're lucky. People are still coming to fill the roles we need to be filled; to pay the taxes we need for services.
Rural people in this country look after each other. They volunteer in their communities. They work together. They are kind. They care about community. They build community. Good people, often doing it tough, but caring for each other. That's a good way to live! It's not Hanson's way.
I urge those in rural Victoria particularly, but all over our state, not to be led by her fake outrage, her divisive messages, her fake orange hair, all so like Trump's divisive messages and similarly fake orange skin tones.
If you want to change your vote, look for a good, sensible, caring member of your community who'll stand as an Independent and speak up for your region. Or get in there, join one of the existing parties and work to make them develop some decent policies and processes! They're all desperately need new blood. Make them be better at governing, or at being an Opposition, because we need both.
Being cranky without doing something constructive is useless. Voting for Hanson's mob is useless. She can whinge, but she doesn't do much else … apart from take freebies from Gina Rinehart, the richest woman in Australia who's been sued by her own offspring for allegedly ripping them off.
"Being cranky without doing something constructive is useless. Voting for Hanson's mob is useless."
Apart from slandering migrants, the main other Hanson policy I've heard is her rejection of the current state and federal governments' net zero emissions policies. Rinehart’s profits grow with that denial. No matter the increasing number and severity of extreme cyclones, floods, fires and droughts which climate change is bringing down on our heads. And no matter the additional economic security we gain from increasing our reliance on clean renewable energy which we can generate within our own borders.
We can do better than Hanson. Think carefully, please, before you risk straying from our traditions of kindness, care and community.
My hair is its natural silver now, and much of my effort goes into being a useful nanna. But I still care about our communities and about our people. Look after yourselves and each other. We are stronger working together for the common good. That's us. That's not Hanson.
Susan Davies was the Independent MP for Gippsland West from 1997 to 2002.
We can do better than Hanson. Think carefully, please, before you risk straying from our traditions of kindness, care and community.
My hair is its natural silver now, and much of my effort goes into being a useful nanna. But I still care about our communities and about our people. Look after yourselves and each other. We are stronger working together for the common good. That's us. That's not Hanson.
Susan Davies was the Independent MP for Gippsland West from 1997 to 2002.
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The recent contribution by Susan Davies departs from that standard. Readers were treated not just to criticism of Pauline Hanson’s policies, but to personal remarks about appearance and character, and sweeping dismissals of those who might consider voting for her.
We can, and should, debate policies. On migration. On energy. On climate. On the direction of the country. But when debate slips into ridicule or contempt, it risks doing something more damaging: It dismisses not just a political figure, but the Australians who support them. And those Australians are not a fringe. They are our neighbours, workmates, and community members. Many are not driven by division, but by frustration — about cost of living, about trust in institutions, about whether their voices are being heard.
Telling people their vote is “useless” is unlikely to persuade them otherwise. If anything, it deepens the divide. If we want to counter movements like One Nation, the answer is not personal attack. It is better arguments, better policy, and better engagement. And perhaps most importantly — respect. Respect for differing views. Respect for the people who hold them. Respect for the idea that in a democracy, disagreement is not something to be shut down, but worked through.
We can do better than this.
Joan: What has my comment got to do with Hitler or Trump?
It is true that Hanson has red hair and not quite sure that I understand the criticism about the reference to the hair color. It is important that lessons are learned from history especially taking into account what is happening in our world at present.
You can disagree with someone’s politics, but suggesting their supporters lack care or community spirit is both inaccurate and unhelpful.
This is not a historical reflection—it’s the rant of someone out of touch who never left a significant mark on her political career.
Notwithstanding personal slights, you have managed to start a much needed community discussion about One Nation. The dramatic
shift in support for ON warrants a focus on its
policies, which
need to be interrogated to reveal her bias against 'the other' and her simplistic solutions to what are wicked problems.
I read in the AGE the other day that 20% of the British people are living in poverty.
We don’t want Australia to go this way.
Pauline Hanson has been given a voice because our society as moved to favouring the upper middle classes and not the lower middle classes.
It’s time to have a redistribution of wealth.
People earning $100k to 250k are paying far too much in tax. While the rich can structure their affairs in such a way as to not pay much tax.
This has to change.
I believe in introducing a Universal Basic Income for everyone over the age of 18 so nobody is living in poverty.
This could be funded my taxing assets rather than income.
Australia is one of the richest countries in the world so we can afford a fairer enlightened society for all.
We are very close to already having a Universal Basic Income.
I see the introduction of negative tax rates. This means that any person below a certain income level gets a tax refund to bring them up to a minimum level of income. In order to fund this type of scheme we need to tax assets more. We need a redistribution of wealth. This will fix the poverty problems we have in Australia.