Is Hastie a hero for tackling Hanson? It’s complicated

September 14, 2026 — 3:00am

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Anyone who has spent time on social media has seen the cycle. First, transgression: a particular social boundary is seen to have been breached. Second, demonising: the individual accused of the transgression is turned into a villain. Third, the backlash, as those who object to this particular social boundary being policed push back hard. Finally, on the principle of “my enemy’s enemy is my friend”, the original villain becomes a hero of sorts, at least to one side of politics.

This cycle did not originate with the internet. As satirical character Philomena Cunk put it, you might call Jesus “the first celebrity victim of cancel culture”. But social media sped up the cycle and made it ubiquitous. When we talk about the tendency of social media to “reward outrage”, as independent senator David Pocock did last week, this is often what is meant. Social media has made extremely simple stories – in which each issue can be split into good and evil – a far more powerful part of our culture.

Last week, we received two demonstrations of such cycles and their simplifications (not all of it online).

One came after allegations emerged involving drug use, years ago, by the Victorian leader of One Nation, Warren Pickering. This was the transgression. Pickering was on his way to becoming a villain. Then a press conference was called. It was dramatic, full of stories obviously chosen for their emotive force, with arguments carefully sculpted. And it was fascinating, too, because it was another sign – along with the party’s........

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