News
12 April, 2026
OPINION - One Nation steam train gathers pace in the Southern Highlands
Polling indicates that people are as likely to vote One Nation as they are Labor, Liberal, National or Green. She will never be Prime Minister but Pauline (with the help of Barnaby Joyce) has thrown a spanner in the political works.
‘Life ain’t easy under Albasleezy’.
It is turning into the catchcry of a primarily senior voter base abandoning the major parties in droves.
Locally, Pauline Hanson’s One Nation steam train is gathering pace – as it is across the country.
Polling indicates that people are as likely to vote One Nation as they are Labor, Liberal, National or Green.
She will never be Prime Minister but Pauline (with the help of Barnaby Joyce) has thrown a spanner in the political works.
Voters have forgotten that horribly awkward ‘Please explain’ interview and are turning to her en masse.
Prime Minister, no – but political force, absolutely.
Locals have turned out in force over the past few weeks for One Nation meetings in Mittagong and Bowral.
Saturday’s meeting at the Bowral Bowling Club provided an opportunity for people to voice their frustration over the state of the nation.
There was one young guy heckling from the back row but he was told to quieten down and left before half-time.
That left chair of the local One Nation branch, Daniel Lewis, as the youngest person in the room.
Mr Lewis is the grandson of another Wingecarribee mover and shaker, Gordon Lewis.
Former mayor, highly respected – and a force to be reckoned with on the bowling green.
As chairperson Daniel is now keen to build support beyond the Southern Highlands and will be
looking at meetings in Shellharbour and Dapto.
But here’s the hurdle. The party has no candidate – and it’s almost impossible for a party to maintain traction without a candidate.
As one of the speakers at Sunday’s meeting said, One Nation is literally sweeping the nation. People are turning their backs on the major parties and looking for something different.
One Nation, he said, is offering that something different.
But without a candidate to maintain momentum beyond meetings and gatherings of frustrated voters there is no vehicle to drive the One Nation movement forward.
People are turning up to meetings and calling the Prime Minister a communist and a Fabian – all of it unverified. No proof whatsoever.
They are saying the country is in trouble, they are forgotten, they are unrepresented and that we should be scared about the future.
And they’re turning to a party with no local representative.
No candidate to stand up and say ‘Here I am, this is what I believe in and here are our policies’.
Our local politicians – both State and Federal – are everywhere.
Judy Hannan, Wendy Tuckerman, Carol Berry. Full credit to them – regardless of political persuasion – for being present and accessible.
If One Nation wants to maintain the rage, the least it can do is present a candidate that speaks honestly, listens carefully and provides a front for the change people want but will be unlikely to get when they complain but fail to act.
A failure to act is a failure to commit to basic principles.
And if people don’t want to act on their principles, the steam train will crash, nothing will be achieved and the opportunity for change will be lost.
· Stuart Carless, senior journalist with The Southern Wire, is not a member of any political party nor is he affiliated with any political party.
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