Pauline Hanson's first ever appearance at the National Press Club settled some questions - although not many - and invited several more.

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The most pressing of them did not even get asked. There was no query about the Trump-doting populist's attitude to joining a US defence of Taiwan, surely the preeminent geo-strategic contingency of our age.

This, despite Hanson declaring, "China is a real big concern for me".

If that wasn't an invitation to probe the issue - given AUKUS doubts, and given that any US-led conflict over the Taiwan Strait would pit the two nuclear-armed superpowers against each other - then what would it take?

The media performance was mostly timid with journalists falling over themselves to appear grateful and raising no objection when a respected colleague became the target of a virulent public slander.

Despite being a lift from the Trump playbook, Hanson's attack occasioned no question or subsequent rebuke.

We did learn some things though from the garbled grab-bag of slogans and slights.

First, there is nothing reassuringly conservative about Pauline Hanson's One Nation party. Its instincts, are unapologetically right-wing, openly conflictual and nation-transforming.

Public servants would be told to comply or be removed -........

© Canberra Times