Senator Pauline Hanson has predicted that the right-wing minor party she co-founded, One Nation, could be governing Australia within 15 years, saying voter support for the party is rising after its performance in the May 3 federal election.
One Nation increased its representation to four Senate seats at that poll, and Hanson said the boost reflects a broader shift away from the major parties. "Australians are waking up and walking away from the major parties in growing numbers," she wrote online, describing the surge in support as "not a protest vote. It's a movement. Grounded in common sense, national interest, and putting Australians first." She added, "I see a future where One Nation is the government of Australia, and that future starts now."
Hanson, 71, acknowledged that a One Nation government is not immediate, saying it would likely take "three or four elections" before the party could realistically govern at the federal or state level. She told Brisbane radio host Bill McDonald that the party's immediate aim is to offer voters disengaged by the major parties an alternative and to build first-preference support.
"Since I've been back in 2016, we've had 11 members across the country elected to parliament, so people are starting to wake up to One Nation," Hanson said. She said the party must present clear policies "to help people understand what we stand for and what we intend to do" and to win the confidence required for more primary votes.
Hanson said she intends to remain in politics for at least another six years and will stand at the next federal election. She added that she will consider retirement only when she is confident the party is in "good hands" and can carry on her agenda. She jokingly said she had told staff to "tap me on the shoulder" if her health declined to the point she could not serve effectively.
Hanson has identified potential successors, naming her daughter, Lee Hanson, and her chief of staff, James Ashby, as people she wants to see in parliament. Lee Hanson ran as One Nation's lead Senate candidate in Tasmania at the May election and narrowly missed election after a short campaign. Hanson said both figures must earn their positions on merit, saying, "I don't believe in nepotism. Just because Lee is my daughter doesn't mean to say she's going to be leading the party. It will be the person who I believe has the ability to be able to do it."
The party's recent gains came amid a contested political environment in which Hanson has accused the Coalition of moving away from conservative principles and said Labor's policies have divided voters. One Nation has sought to capitalize on that disaffection with a platform emphasizing immigration controls, national interest and support for Australians first.
Hanson was among a small number of federal politicians who attended a March anti-immigration demonstration known as the March for Australia. The party's alignment with anti-immigration sentiment and other conservative positions has drawn both support and criticism in national debate.
The post-election period has seen internal change for One Nation: Senator Warwick Stacey resigned from parliament three months after the May election for health reasons, a development Hanson said did not affect her succession planning. Online responses to Hanson's prediction were mixed, ranging from enthusiastic calls to accelerate the timetable to cautions about the feasibility of overtaking established parties.
Hanson framed the party's trajectory as a long-term project of building organizational strength and voter trust. She said One Nation's growth since 2016 indicated rising public interest, and she intends to continue seeking electoral gains while preparing the next generation of party figures for potential parliamentary roles.