Far-right populism isn’t about policy detail — it’s about national character
Australia has no shortage of ideas, no determination about the kind of country we want to be, he writes Carl Rhodes.
VIOLENCE is back on the streets of Melbourne weekend.
Anti-immigration marchers clashed with counterprotesters in scenes of chaos. Police grappled with demonstrators in the gutters, tear gas filled the air, rubber bullets flew and blood spilled on the pavement. Stones, glass and rotten fruit were thrown. Arrests followed, and both protesters and police officers were hospitalized.
White nationalism was front and center and reflected the national organizer Bec Walker‘s support for remigration: the forced repatriation of non-white immigrants to their home countries. The old racist refrain, “Go back to where you came from” echoed once again.
Similar marches took place across the country, with organizers framing their aim as the defense of national identity.
Melbourne protest website declared:
‘People are waking up to a country they barely know. It’s time to put an end to this.’
protesters was accused Migration due to economic difficulties points to rising costs of living and a deepening housing crisis.
Economic insecurity, political disenfranchisement, cultural displacement, and racial backlash; These are hallmarks of the global appeal of far-right political tactics. From Donald Trump’s Make America Great Again movement in the United States to Nigel Farage’s Reform Party in the United Kingdom and growing support. Alternative for Germany (AfD) In Germany, right-wing populism has once again become a transnational force.
Australian democracy has so far resisted the excesses seen abroad. So are these protests a warning to us that right-wing extremism is moving towards the mainstream here too?
Is Australia in danger?
When Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visited his British counterpart Keir Starmer last month, the threat of populism was high on his agenda.
Albanian warned HE:
“…people are concerned about elements of far-right insurgency in various countries…this is something my government is very focused on.”
Australia does not face the same intensity of populist pressure as the UK. There, Reform Party leader Nigel Farage is now in serious trouble. contestant Becoming Prime Minister. The rise of reform was largely stance Two issues headline Donald Trump’s 2024 report on immigration and the cost of living offer In the United States.
Australia may not be that far away, but the warning lights are flashing. The same divisive, xenophobic, isolationist and anti-democratic policies that dominate abroad are increasingly seen here as well.
The marches that took place last weekend are a symptom of this. Another is growing support for One Nation, the traditional home of Australian authoritarian populism. Despite winning just 6.4% in the last election, polls now show them Support Up to 14%.
Adding to the volatility is former Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce’s approved Talks with One Nation leader Pauline Hanson are fueling speculation that she may defect. If this happens, it could signal that the mainstreaming of far-right populism in Australia is more advanced than previously thought.
Economic roots of populist appeal
Albanian He made it clear he didn’t want Australia Seeing the rise of populist organizations such as [Reform]”. But the flames of populist backlash will not be extinguished by immigration policy. This would be just treating the symptom rather than the cause.
Immigration policy can help manage public sentiment, but addressing the root of the problem requires economic reform. Populist movements scapegoat immigrants to advance nationalist and racist agendas. Their diagnoses are bigoted and wrong, but the underlying problems they exploit are real.
Poverty odds In Australia, it has increased from 12.4 percent to 14.2 percent in the last four years. Housing affordability It is approaching record lows and it now takes more than a decade on average to save just for a deposit.
wealth inequality It has reached a point where the top 10% of Australians own 44% of the country’s wealth. The post-pandemic cost of living crisis will see disposable products at home between 2022 and 2024. income The per capita rate fell by almost 7 percent.
These are precisely the economic conditions in which populism thrives, conditions that invite false solutions and racist scapegoats.
Designing a more equitable future
If populism feeds on inequality, justice should be its antidote.
The government knows this. It was recently announced pension tax changes is a startup that focuses on intergenerational inequality. These changes We will see wealthier Australians pay more tax into retirement, while lower-income earners will be offset.
But this alone will not change the course. Broader tax reform changes Proposals regarding capital gains tax and negative carry forward are currently being considered and recommendations wealth taxes emerges. There are also widespread calls for welfare reform to address poverty more directly. national inequality goals It has also been introduced as a way to focus policy on outcomes.
In short, there are policy options. We can reduce inequality, calm anger and eliminate the oxygen of populism.
The real test: Political will
Australia has no shortage of ideas. He lacks determination.
The question is whether we have the political will to reform a system that has led and continues to drive our society into greater inequality and vulnerability to far-right populism. This is not a technocratic debate about marginal tax rates. This is a democratic choice about what kind of country we want to be.
Are we choosing a politics of fear that weaponizes hardship against immigrants and minorities? Or is it a policy of courage that addresses the causes of this challenge – housing, wages, tax and social protection – and insists on the dignity of all who call Australia home?
Ultimately, the decision is about national character, not policy details.
Let’s choose a future determined by justice instead of scapegoating, solidarity instead of hatred, and democratic trust instead of authoritarian threat.
The world offers us cautionary tales. We still have time to write another one.
Carl Rhodes is Professor of Business and Society at the University of Technology Sydney. Wrote several books On the relationship between liberal democracy and contemporary capitalism. You can follow him on X/Twitter @ProfCarlRhodes.
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