Australian far-right politician Pauline Hanson's recent visit to the UK has left many questioning whether her party's increasingly vocal anti-immigration stance is being influenced by British right-wing ideologies. As tensions rise between proponents of multiculturalism and those advocating for stricter controls on immigration, Senator Hanson's meetings with some of Britain's most prominent figures have sparked concern about a worrying trend in Australian politics.
During her trip to the UK, Senator Hanson was photographed with Nigel Farage at the Conservative Political Action Conference in London. She also toured Tower Hamlets with Robert Jenrick, a former member of the Conservative Party who is now part of Reform UK, observing Muslim communities alongside him. A significant meeting saw her connect with Rupert Lowe of the anti-immigration group Restore Britain at the country home of Australian-British singer Holly Valance. Lowe reportedly presented Hanson with Restore Britain's policy paper, 'Mass Deportations: Legitimacy, Legality, and Logistics', which outlines a plan to remove approximately 1.8 million undocumented individuals from the UK within three years through 'voluntary returns and forced deportations'. Senator Hanson later expressed enthusiasm for the concept of mass deportations, specifically for those residing in Australia illegally.
One of the most contentious meetings was with Tommy Robinson, known for his anti-Islam activism and multiple arrests. In a podcast released on X, Robinson reportedly approached Hanson with deference, acknowledging her as someone he had 'looked up to for years'. Both individuals have served jail time: Hanson for electoral fraud (a conviction later quashed) and Robinson for various offences including fraud and contempt of court. During their discussion, Hanson attributed Australia's current challenges to the dismantling of the White Australia policy in 1973, a policy that had arbitrarily preserved a predominantly white, British population through measures like dictation tests.
This adoption of British far-right rhetoric by Australian politicians comes amidst a domestic political struggle for control of the Australian right. Senator Hanson's One Nation party is reportedly gaining ground against the Liberal party in Australian polls, positioning itself as a significant challenger to the governing Australian Labor party. Prominent Liberal figures, such as former Prime Minister Tony Abbott and his former chief of staff Peta Credlin, have also voiced concerns about the impact of 'sustained mass migration' on Australia's 'Anglo-Celtic core culture' and 'Judeo-Christian foundational ethos'.
The emphasis on 'mass deportations' and fears of cultural dilution, concepts now being deployed in Australian political discourse, reflect a worrying trend for those concerned about the future of Australia's multicultural society. Critics argue that importing such rhetoric from the UK, a country with a different history of immigration and social cohesion, may undermine the principles of inclusivity and diversity that have long been hallmarks of Australian identity.