The old parties had their turn, and failed

Something remarkable is unfolding… One Nation has turned out the Liberals’ lights. 

The numbers from the pre-election polling, now being borne out in the count, are eye-watering. One Nation is on track to receive a substantial taxpayer-funded election windfall under the Malinauskas government’s new public-funding regime.

The formula is straightforward. In One Nation’s case, $6 for every vote up to the first 10 per cent, then $5.50 thereafter, capped only by actual campaign spend. Assuming the turnout and vote share hold, millions in public money might be heading One Nation’s way, replacing the political donations the Malinauskas Labor government just banned.

But the windfall does not stop on election night. Depending on how many One Nation members are elected, the party is also in line for ongoing administrative funding to cover offices, staff, training, and operations. That funding, plus the potential for policy-development support and other streams, gives One Nation the resources to build serious, professional policy machinery.

My latest in The Spectator Australia, The old parties had their turn, and failed.

This is not the One Nation of the 1990s that Tony Abbott tried to bury.

Hanson survived and the establishment’s contempt for her voters only hardened.

After his win, re-elected SA Premier Peter Malinauskas said the quiet part out loud, reported as ‘winning voters back from One… pic.twitter.com/qunyJhmTYr

— The Spectator Australia (@SpectatorOz) March 24, 2026