Hanson’s gas policy follows the far‑right playbook: attack ‘elites’ and push for drilling |
New polling this week put One Nation ahead of Labor in the primary vote for the first time, as the party’s latest policy announcements signal greater political ambition.
One Nation recently unveiled its new oil and gas policy at the Australian Energy Producers Conference in Adelaide. It promises “vastly greater returns” to an electorate “rightly unhappy” with the distribution of Australia’s natural resources.
While One Nation’s gas policy is not entirely new, the party’s growing prominence means announcements will attract greater scrutiny.
So, what is the party proposing?
Embracing government intervention
The Norway-style gas proposal is One Nation’s first substantial intervention in current tax and energy policy debates. It’s a marked shift away from the social and migration issues that have long defined the party.
Norway heavily taxes its oil and gas extraction profits. It reinvests the wealth into the world’s largest sovereign fund to spent on social initiatives.
Echoing the Trump administration’s willingness to buy into resource and technology companies, One Nation’s announcement reflects a broader embrace of economic interventionism: where a government actively modifies a free-market economy.
The announcement shows a stark differentiation between One Nation and The Liberal Party on the economy.........