High-profile racists and far-right leaders descended on the Brisbane showgrounds over the weekend of 10 and 11 October for the Conservative Political Action Conference.
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson headlined the event. She was joined by Liberal leader Angus Taylor, far-right podcaster Karl Stefanovic, and one of Britain’s least successful politicians, former Prime Minister Liz Truss.
Inside, it was a carnival of reaction. The ABC reported that Hanson was greeted with rapturous applause as she harangued the Coalition for signing up to net-zero and creating an eSafety commissioner, which she pledged to abolish on the grounds of free speech.
The leader of the National Party, Matt Canavan, cosplayed as a blue-collar worker as he took to the stage to extol the virtues of Australian manufacturing. Despite earlier criticisms, Hanson said that she’d be willing to work with the Coalition to “throw out this wretched and corrupt Labor government”.
Outside, hundreds of irreverent high schoolers, trade union activists and community members rallied, waving homemade signs, chanting and drumming. The crowd was a sea of keffiyehs, rainbow flags and signs, with many commenting on Hanson’s close relationship with Australian billionaire Gina Rinehart (“Pauline works for Gina!”).
“Migrants are welcome, racists are not!” was a popular chant, echoing across the showgrounds while conferencegoers streamed out for their lunch break. One Nation recently unveiled its policy to cut Australia’s immigration intake by 750,000 people over three years, including plans to cut visas for the family members of skilled migrants and international students to zero.
“Pauline Hanson wants net zero immigration, but my parents are immigrants, my friends are immigrants, and without them this country would be nothing and fuck Pauline!”, Sam, a high school student, told Red Flag.
The rally heard from Dave Pullen, an Indigenous elder from Inala who ran against Hanson in Ipswich in 1996. Draped in an Indigenous flag, Pullen opened with an acknowledgement of country and of Hanson’s long record of racism towards Indigenous people.
National convenor of the Socialist Party and teacher unionist Rebecca Barrigos highlighted the importance of posing an alternative socialist vision to One Nation and the broader right:
“Today’s rally isn’t just about sending a signal to those inside the conference; it’s about saying we know what you’re doing. They’re fighting for a more competitive, more brutal, more pro-billionaire, anti-worker vision of society, and to that we say, fuck your vision of society! We have an alternative vision.”
There is a long way to go to realise that vision. Hanson is currently the preferred prime minister to Anthony Albanese and is polling at 36 percent in Queensland. While the right has momentum, it still faces opposition. People who oppose One Nation’s vision for the world should rally to our side and put up a fight.
