Despite being considered one of the most functional democracies in the world, not even Australia has been spared from the rise of right-wing populism. Pauline Hanson’s One Nation (PHON) has had a surge in the polls since late 2025 and now looks set to topple the two major parties’ longstanding hold on Australian politics. While this is yet to ripple into a federal election, PHON’s recent by-election win in Secret Harbour suggests that its emergence is not a fluke. But what al