Cory Bernardi is a conservative. This is controversial.

He is also the latest candidate announcement from One Nation after it was observed they were ‘targeting ex-Liberal and National MPs to jump ship’.

Pauline Hanson said she had been in ‘positive discussions with Cory for some time’ and that ‘he has a clear vision for South Australia’s future’.

For his part, Cory Bernardi said there was ‘very little difference’ between South Australia’s Labor and Liberal parties, which sounds about right if you examine their record.

‘There’s no effective opposition to government,’ Bernardi added. ‘They’re effectively one party. A uni-party. And that’s a bad thing for South Australians because they’re being left behind.’

Polling suggests that Australians running closer to the economic line are more likely to support One Nation. This is even true of young Australians, who were tipped as majority Greens supporters.

Poorer people have felt the nasty side effects of luxury beliefs, such as Net Zero and mass migration, favoured by those who live in protected communities with enough wealth to wave-off rising power prices. So much for Labor being the voice of the working class, and the Liberals empowering small businesses and middle-class families. Both have been screwed over by an unshakeable devotion to policies that enrich the elite.

Cory Bernardi is an interesting political figure because he served as a Litmus test for the Liberals before they properly collapsed.

Modernising the Liberal Party pushed conservatives into a minority in their own movement. Conservatives were slandered and de-selected by factional warlords. Those with spirit were thrown out of the party. The rest were left to languish at the fringes, doing what they could under the Moderate Occupation before quietly retiring. Opposing Net Zero, mass migration, and progressive politics became a reason for expulsion.

Bernardi walked this path, leaving the Liberals after months of friction to create his own party, the Australian Conservatives.

Sadly, it did not survive.

Australia’s political system is not set up to facilitate the existence of minor parties, except for the most persistent, and so his career eventually came to an end in 2020 when he resigned from the Senate. Following from this, he spent some time as a Sky News Australia host.

Until now. One Nation announced Cory Bernardi joining their ranks yesterday to widespread approval.

Bernardi has served in high positions within government and has many years of experience.

This matters, because a ‘lack of experience’ is the favourite accusation of One Nation detractors, despite Pauline Hanson being one of the most enduring political figures in Australian history, having outlived almost all her rivals.

During his Liberal years, Bernardi came into conflict with both Malcolm Turnbull and Tony Abbott regarding gay marriage and abortion, respectively, but this is unlikely to cause One Nation an issue. Both matters are all-but set in concrete and won’t be revisited.

What Bernardi’s presence will do is utterly snooker the minor Christian conservatives running in South Australia. It will take the lightest of nudges to consolidate them into One Nation. These consolidated figures should make them a real threat to the major parties.

Unlike so many people in politics, voters are well-acquainted with Bernardi’s beliefs. Frankly, honesty is worth more than gold in a world where Coalition reps can’t even bring themselves to joke about the leadership tussles on Sky News Australia.

What else do we know about Cory Bernardi’s politics?

He rejects the Net Zero crisis destroying Australia’s energy grid. He wrote a piece calling for the banning of the burqa. He has expressed a belief that ‘multiculturalism has failed’ and that ‘the fundamentalist Islamic approach of changing laws and values does not have my support’. He has been critical of the funding structure of the ABC and its current representation of Australia. And he would like to see nuclear energy legalised.

These beliefs were once used as a weapon against Bernardi, including by previous Liberal leaders.

Now, they are exactly the views resonating with the average Australian.

Cory Bernardi is a living, breathing example of who the Liberal Party strangled conservatism and kicked it out of the party.

One Nation needs at least 8 per cent of the vote for Bernardi to succeed. If opinion polls are accurate, they will achieve this.

It is important to note that the wild opinion polls doing the rounds, particularly Redbridge, are speculation until put to the test in the fire and brimstone of election.

South Australia will be the first chance we get to see if there is any truth to rise of One Nation as a replacement Opposition.