The Hanson surge. Protest vote a threat to democracy?

Pauline Hanson’s One Nation won the Farrer by-election last week, while Nigel Farage’s Reform UK thrashed British Labor in the local council elections. What’s behind it? Aleta Moriarty he asks.

The Farrer byelection result and Reform UK’s stunning victory reflect growing disillusionment with mainstream politics, rising inequality and distrust of institutions, a takeover by the populist right and perhaps paving the way for autocracy.

For the first time in more than two decades, there are more autocracies than democracies in the world. according to V-Dem Democracy Report 2026The 91 autocracies now outnumber the 88 democracies; 72% of the world’s population lives under authoritarian rule.

V-Dem It identifies media censorship as the most widespread tool of democratic erosion on a global scale, followed by the undermining of elections and civil society. Disinformation is now spreading in almost half of the countries that have become autocratic. Much of the decline is occurring in so-called democratic states through excessive executive interference, judicial packaging, criminalization of dissent, and the weaponization of national security laws against journalists and political opponents.

That’s been one of the themes lately Women Deliver Two of the world’s leading human rights experts, Melbourne Secretary General Dr. At the Melbourne conference where I spoke to Agnes Callamard Amnesty International and ex Kate Gilmore United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, about what they thought was happening.

State capture and ‘Big Tech’

Both human rights experts believe that large corporations, especially Big Tech, are fueling the rise of populism and authoritarianism. This, combined with the very real victimization created by rising economic inequality, has created a perfect storm.

Gilmore points to a parallel failure in the algorithmic fragmentation of public opinion. He argues that democracy is much more than the ballot box; it includes an independent judiciary, a diverse media environment, civil policing, the primacy of fact over fiction, respect for science, and academic freedom. He said they were all threatened and eroded.

“The bridge between politics and autocracy is a business model based on clickbait algorithms that drives this very phenomenon (here)

There are a handful of people who have become obscenely rich at our expense.

Mining magnate Gina Rinehart’s association with One Nation is symbolic: o A $2.1 million Cirrus G7 plane was gifted to the party Along with donations of $2 million, Australian billionaires increased their wealth by an average of $600,000 a day; he is not a defender of the working class or their interests.

“There is no doubt that the Social Contract has been violated,” Gilmore said, explaining how extreme inequality and the unfounded assumption that rising tides lift all boats help this happen. “This is a contest between capital and democracy, inequality and calls for equality. Stand up. Speak up. Defend the basic human rights that make and create us the same human family.”

Predators at the door

Dr Agnes Callamard, General Secretary Amnesty International One of the world’s leading authorities on accountability and international law does not mince words on what is driving the decline in rights, law and order globally.

“The predators are Donald Trump, Benjamin Netanyahu and Vladimir Putin. They do not hesitate to say that the law does not apply to them, that the international rules established over the last eighty years do not apply to us,” he said. “They have the right to replace diplomacy with war, they have the right to occupy the lands of other countries and claim them with pride.

They have the right to normalize violence against civilians.

What makes this moment different, according to Callamard, is that these leaders are not only violating international and domestic norms, they are also seeking the death of those norms by destabilizing the rules-based order, through defunding, sanctions and attacks. They also offered a franchise and a plan for others to capitalize on public grievances to drive an autocratic agenda for self-serving billionaires. That’s why it’s important to draw boundaries and speak out against such violations.

Inequality is increasing, trust is decreasing

2025 Edelman Trust Barometer It shows that national trust has fallen to just 49%, with 59% believing leaders are deliberately misleading the public. Inequality is higher now than in 2002 and OECD PISA data Confirm that Australia has one of the most unequal school systems in the developed world. This inequality has been increasing, with the achievement gap between private and public schools widening since 2006.

The majority of Australians surveyed by ACOSS believe government policies are pushing people into poverty.

We’ve expanded the cost of living to everything from the most talked about housing to every other aspect of society. University arts degrees are now available costs over $50,000with student contributions Nine times higher in some disciplines than 35 years ago.

The Australia Institute states that Australia currently has the most expensive secondary education in the developed world. We have privatized essential services and massively eroded the civil service, while also expecting wage workers to bear a disproportionate share of the tax burden.

protest vote

recently Australian Survey It shows that PHON is now the largest party in Australia.

I analyzed a post about the words One Nation voters associate with Pauline, 356 people responded. Men (contrary to general trends about female candidates/leaders) make up the largest share at approximately 55 percent, while women account for 38 percent and 8 percent are undetermined.

Beyond patriotic terms such as “patriot,” “Australian,” and “Australian,” the strongest clusters were honesty, trust, and authenticity; This was followed by courage and strength and sometimes redemptiveness.

This suggests that his support stems less from politics than from the belief that he is honest and a political savior for working-class Australians who feel ignored.

It is time to fight for democracy and against what is causing the rise of populism and opening the doors to autocracy.

Women Give a Conference. Is there a silver lining amidst the doom and gloom?

Practicing researcher in the field of human rights, disability inclusion and gender. He completed his doctorate at the University of Melbourne. Twenty years of working experience in organizations such as the United Nations, UN Women, the World Bank, and the University of Melbourne.