The political establishment is in a state of shock. When Sky News Australia took the unprecedented step of calling the Farrer by-election for One Nation at an extraordinarily early hour, it wasn’t just calling a seat; it was announcing the end of an era. For the first time in Australian history, One Nation has captured a House of Representatives seat at an election, and if the current opinion polls are any indication, it is merely the first of many.

The ‘commentariat’ – that insulated class of pundits and pollsters – has spent years repeating the tired myth that One Nation is a party of complaint but not of policy. This is precisely why, before the last Federal election, I suggested that Liberals do what Sir Robert Menzies did: return to the philosophy of the ‘Forgotten People’ and vote for the best party. I advised voters to give their first preference to the party with the best common-sense policies and the leader who will deliver them, One Nation. Farrer has proven that the commentariat’s ‘no-policies’ narrative was a delusion. Australians are not merely ‘protesting’; they are voting for a platform of common sense, consistently put forward by Pauline Hanson and Senator Malcolm Roberts – one that the major parties have long since abandoned.

The Death of the Major Party Monopoly

Senator Malcolm Roberts is, incidentally, one of the few former manual workers in Parliament, appearing as a rare exception alongside some farmers within the Nationals. In contrast, Labor has become a party of career politicians who have been embedded in the political machine since their university days.

The result reflects a deep-seated exhaustion with the status quo. Labor is no longer the party of the worker; it has become the party of the inner-city elite. The Greens, far from being environmentalists, seem content to see our landscape ruined by industrial ‘renewables’ to enrich foreign interests – propping up what Donald Trump rightly called the ‘world’s biggest fraud’.

In contrast, voters have responded to a leader who tells the simple truth.

A Platform of Substance

Beyond the personality of Pauline Hanson lies a suite of consistent, nationalist policies that address the existential crises facing the country:

Cost of Living and Waste: One Nation has a strong program to eliminate the duplication caused by Canberra and the States performing the same functions. They are also committed to ending the enormous cost of Net Zero energy and demonising ‘fossil fuel’, which is wrecking the country’s agricultural land and giving us what is among the most expensive electricity in the world.

Energy and Water: While the major parties pursue a financially ruinous and environmentally damaging Net Zero agenda – ripping up agricultural land for useless windmills, solar farms and power transmission lines – One Nation has championed an updated Bradfield Plan. Australia is the driest continent on Earth, yet we allow our water to flow into the sea. We need massive engineering, not massive taxes. Bringing northern water south is far more sensible than delivering power via a fragile, coal-shunning grid.

Immigration: One Nation’s Net Zero immigration policy – the guideline that arrivals do not exceed departures – is the right target for a nation struggling with a housing and cost-of-living crisis.
Indigenous Policy: The party is willing to address the ‘sit-down money’ that has plagued remote communities since the Whitlam era. By focusing on work over welfare and supporting the principles of the Howard-era intervention, they offer a path out of dependency that the ‘Voice’ industry never could.

Defence and Mining: With figures like Malcolm Roberts – a man who actually knows what it’s like to work in a coal mine – the party stands as the lone defender of our resources sector. They understand that our national wealth and our national defence (including the proper treatment of our veterans and heroes like Ben Roberts-Smith) are the twin pillars of a sovereign nation.

The Ultimate Check: Direct Democracy

Perhaps most importantly, One Nation remains the sole political advocate for Direct Democracy on the Swiss model. By allowing the Australian people to initiate referendums via simple petitions, we can finally control the politicians between elections. It is a constitutional mechanism that would allow us to introduce the laws we need and scrap the ones we don’t. Crucially, it provides a ‘People’s Veto’ over the High Court when activist judges attempt to change the Constitution through the back door – something only the people should be able to do by a considered vote.

The New Reality

The Farrer victory is a breakthrough that proves the Australian people are ready to reclaim their country. The major parties have spent decades treating the electorate like ‘puppets’ to be managed. This result suggests that the people have finally decided to manage themselves.

The ‘safe seat’ is dead. The policy of common sense is back.