One Nation is heading towards the same rock on which the Liberal Party shattered

November 1, 2026 — 5:00am

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One Nation is heading towards the rock on which the Liberal Party shattered. The party is playing out an accelerated re-enactment of the catastrophe of purpose that crept up on the Coalition over years.

Since One Nation rocketed up the opinion polls following the Bondi massacre, it has been scrambling to consolidate its good fortune. Overnight a party that had an undisputed identity for 30 years gained a whole new following.

A study by Labor pollster John Utting in August has confirmed that the new supporters came for the anti-immigration policies. This is, after all, the established One Nation brand. But a single-issue party can’t move from protest vote to major force without expanding its policy suite into a plan to govern the country. The challenge for One Nation is to hold on to its lottery win.

The minor party is determined to make the leap into the big leagues. Despite currently only having two seats in the House of Representatives and four senators – including the party leader – the party has big ambitions. And some new supporters have big ambitions on its behalf. In a move that has sparked a great deal of attention, former Scott Morrison adviser and Australian Banking Association policy chief Chris Taylor took up the role of chief of staff to Pauline Hanson. He brought over Maxwell Pryor, a colleague from the banking association. Their most important role right now is turning the party into a genuine player.

The One Nation policymaking brains trust includes party leader Pauline Hanson, former Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce, longtime Hanson wrangler James Ashby, loyalist and senator Malcolm Roberts, and Taylor and........

© The Sydney Morning Herald