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The Making of One Nation

The Making of One Nation

Written by: The Conversation
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From a fish and chip shop in regional Queensland to the heart of Australian politics: this is the unlikely story of the country’s most controversial minor party. For thirty years, One Nation and Pauline Hanson have been ridiculed, dismissed and shut out. Now, no one is laughing. This is the story of how a party built on fear and grievance thrived, died and rose again to upend Australian politics. We go beyond the headlines and stunts to document how One Nation works and what it means for our future.Licenced as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives. Political Science Politics & Government
Episodes
  • 6 | The Making of One Nation: seize the moment?
    May 6 2026

    One Nation didn't emerge in a vacuum, then or now.

    The global surge in right-wing populism has propelled the party and thirty years on, it’s arguably stronger than ever.

    But is its popularity a protest or a fundamental realignment of Australian politics? And what happens to Pauline Hanson’s One Nation, post Pauline?

    In the sixth and final episode of The Making of One Nation, we speak to Jill Sheppard, a political scientist and senior lecturer in the School of Politics and International Relations at the Australian National University.

    This episode was written and hosted by Ashlynne McGhee and produced and edited by Isabella Podwinski. Sound design by Michelle Macklem. Misha Ketchel is the editor of The Conversation Australia.

    If you are enjoying the series, please consider donating to The Conversation, an independent, not-for-profit news organisation.

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    24 mins
  • 5 | The Making of One Nation: master the media
    Apr 29 2026

    The media made Pauline Hanson and One Nation, but now the party holds all the power.

    It’s a perfect storm for democracy: a shrinking and cowering traditional media, the toxic algorithms of the unmoderated social media cess pit and the warped reality of generative AI.

    But why is the party that once led the charge in the new internet age seemingly so restrained in weaponising AI?

    In the fifth instalment of The Making of One Nation, we speak to Kurt Sengul, a political scientist at Macquarie University who has researched the nexus between the media and the rise of far-right populism.

    This episode was written and hosted by Ashlynne McGhee and produced and edited by Isabella Podwinski. Sound design by Michelle Macklem. Misha Ketchel is the editor of The Conversation Australia.

    If you are enjoying the series, please consider donating to The Conversation, an independent, not-for-profit news organisation.

    Or, you can subscribe to one of our free newsletters.

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    25 mins
  • 4 | The Making of One Nation: move the centre
    Apr 22 2026

    It’s never held government, or even opposition, yet One Nation’s managed to exert an outsized influence on the public policy agenda.

    From borders to migration, multiculturalism to Indigenous affairs, the far-right party has mastered mainstreaming and captured the masses fleeing the Coalition.

    In the fourth instalment of The Making of One Nation, we speak to Josh Sunman, Associate Lecturer in Public Policy at Flinders University and Tim Bale, a Professor of Politics at Queen Mary University of London.

    This episode was written and hosted by Ashlynne McGhee and produced and edited by Isabella Podwinski. Sound design by Michelle Macklem. Misha Ketchel is the editor of The Conversation Australia.

    If you are enjoying the series, please consider donating to The Conversation, an independent, not-for-profit news organisation.

    Or, you can subscribe to one of our free newsletters.

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    18 mins
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