Opposition Leader Angus Taylor has delivered his most comprehensive attack yet on One Nation, describing the party as a “column of smoke” that would, if in government, drive the country into financial ruin. Speaking at the Sydney Institute on Thursday evening, Taylor argued that One Nation lacks clear policy positions and a credible team to govern.
Taylor’s Critique of One Nation’s Policies
Taylor stated that One Nation’s platform is a “random grab bag of poorly defined, contradictory, and constantly changing positions.” He singled out their longest-serving MP, Malcolm Roberts, for calling the United States the “world’s greatest terrorist organisation,” and noted that their newest MP, David Farley, is already voting with the Greens and Teals. Taylor emphasised that One Nation is “long on rhetoric but short on substance.”
He warned that One Nation’s top four financial commitments alone could cost the budget approximately a trillion dollars over a decade, with no clear or credible plan to pay for them. Their proposal to abolish parts of the bureaucracy would cover only about one-fifteenth of those commitments, Taylor claimed.
Economic Consequences of One Nation in Government
According to Taylor, if One Nation’s promises were left unfunded, the result would be surging inflation, forcing the Reserve Bank to raise interest rates by about 3 percentage points. This would add roughly $20,000 a year in interest to the average new mortgage. The national debt would nearly triple, creating a “compounding feedback loop” that could lead to a sovereign debt crisis.
“The only alternative is deeper cuts to essential services—pensions and Medicare chief among them,” Taylor said. “That’s why I warn that an eternity of pain would follow a One Nation government.”
Comparison to Other Parties and Internal Criticism
Taylor likened One Nation to the Greens, arguing that neither is a party of government. He noted that world history is “littered with failed governments that didn’t bother paying for their promises.” His attack comes amid criticism that he has been too cautious in confronting One Nation, unlike leadership aspirant Andrew Hastie, who has declared “war” on the party.
Meanwhile, in Britain, One Nation leader Pauline Hanson appeared on a podcast with controversial far-right figure Tommy Robinson, who praised her as “fearless, relentless, consistent, fighting for the Australian people and hopefully the next leader of her nation.”
