Editorial: The problem facing Albo and Angus — What to do about Pauline?
Attacking Senator Hanson carries a risk of being counter productive, seen by many as just further evidence of a bid by the ‘elites’ and media to bring her down.
What has the classic film The Sound of Music got to do with Pauline Hanson?
Think of the song about Maria, who wants to join the other nuns at the abbey but doesn’t quite fit.
Even as her faults are listed, some can’t help but be drawn to her. Thus the song: “How do you solve a problem like Maria”?
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.Replace Maria with Pauline and it could be a song for Anthony Albanese and Angus Taylor.
Because it seems that even with all the new scrutiny directed her way, support for Senator Hanson’s One Nation is not going away.
The latest Newspoll had support for Labor down from 33 per cent to 30 per cent.
One Nation was up from 29 per cent in June to match Labor at 30 per cent.
Support for the Liberals and Nationals was up to 19 per cent, up from a historic low of 17 per cent last month.
Bearing in mind the margin for error, One Nation’s support is holding up.
For many, it seems as if it doesn’t matter what happens from here on in, they have had a gutful of the status quo and want to upend it.
But Mr Albanese and Mr Taylor have a problem around how they tackle that.
Attacking Senator Hanson carries a risk of being counter productive, seen by many as just further evidence of a bid by the “elites” and media to bring her down.
The old Hillary Clinton “basket of deplorables” mistake.
And it can also raise the temperature to such an extent that the point gets lost amid the shouting.
A case in point took place on Channel 7’s Sunrise on Monday as Labor’s Tanya Plibersek sought to take on One Nation’s Barnaby Joyce.
Ms Plibersek went on the attack, saying Senator Hanson backed “mass deportation” — an apparent bid to whip up fear by insinuating the One Nation leader believed migrants as a group should be deported.
Sunrise host Nat Barr asked Mr Joyce ”who do you want to deport?”
“Illegal immigrants. That’s why they are illegal,” he replied. “That’s why we call them illegal immigrants. They are not legally supposed to be here”.
“As it becomes apparent that they are not supposed to be here they will be put on a plane and sent back to where they are supposed to be.”
Perhaps realising the moment was getting away from her, Ms Plibersek countered: “Literally everybody agrees with that. If you are here illegally you should be deported. No questions asked.”
So rather than a headline around Joyce on the defensive, could the exchange have been presented as “Plibersek issues warning on deportation”?
Yet another moment of contention in the ultra-hyped political climate around the Hanson phenomenon.
Which perhaps takes us away from another significant revelation in the latest poll — the Coalition remains at the bottom of the pile.
Of course there is a long road still ahead before voters make their final decisions when they pick up a pencil in the polling booth on election day.
But as it stands, to have the major Opposition parties so comprehensibly disregarded — almost looking irrelevant — is not a healthy outcome for good government.
