Pauline Hanson’s continuing appeal is less a sudden ideological shift than a symptom of weakening trust, economic frustration and a growing belief that mainstream politics has become distant, managed and closed off.

Why does Pauline Hanson continue to attract support?

If you sit in a café and talk about Australian politics, a question that keeps coming up lately is: Why is Pauline Hanson still a factor in Australian politics and why do more people seem willing to vote for her?

Pauline Hanson has been around for a long time. She comes and goes in terms of seats and numbers, but she never fully disappears, and that alone tells us something important. She’s not simply a passing protest vote, she represents a continuing frustration that neither of the major parties has been able to address.

I think One Nation tends to grow when people believe something is wrong with the political system, not necessarily because they have suddenly changed their core beliefs. At the heart of it is trust.

Many Australians don’t spend much time thinking about whether they’re left wing or right wing. They’re more concerned about everyday life and whether the political system is working for them.

Over many years, several pressures have built up:

wages have struggled to keep pace with the cost of living

housing has become increasingly........

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