Australian politicians adopt British right-wing narratives, opinion piece warns
12 reported
An opinion piece in The Guardian warns that some Australian politicians are adopting narratives from British right-wing figures. The article, written by Jack Jacobs, cites recent activities by Senator Pauline Hanson and former Prime Minister Tony Abbott. Hanson recently traveled to the UK on a "fact-finding mission" partly documented by Channel Seven's Spotlight program. She met with several British political figures, including Nigel Farage, Robert Jenrick, Rupert Lowe, and Tommy Robinson. The piece notes that Hanson expressed support for mass deportations after receiving a policy paper from Lowe. The article also references a December 2025 terrorist attack at a Hanukkah celebration in Sydney that killed 15 people, described as the deadliest in Australian history. The author argues that importing British anxieties prevents Australia from addressing its own problems.
What’s reported
The article is an opinion piece by Jack Jacobs in The Guardian, published July 25, 2026.
Tony Abbott spoke at the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship conference in June, warning about immigration diluting Australia's "Anglo-Celtic core culture."
Peta Credlin, Abbott's former chief of staff and a Sky News Australia commentator, described Australia as a "petri dish" on multiculturalism and radical Islam.
Pauline Hanson, a Queensland senator and One Nation founder, called for a "monocultural" Australia and identified Islam as an enemy.
Hanson met with Nigel Farage at the Conservative Political Action Conference in London, toured Tower Hamlets with Robert Jenrick, and met Rupert Lowe at Holly Valance's country house.
Lowe gave Hanson a policy paper titled "Mass Deportations: Legitimacy, Legality, and Logistics," promising to remove "roughly 1.8 million illegals" in three years.
Hanson stated she "love[s]" the idea of mass deportations for those in Australia illegally.
Hanson met with Tommy Robinson, who said he had "looked up to" her for years.
Hanson served 11 weeks in jail in 2003 for electoral fraud before her conviction was quashed; Robinson has served jail time for fraud and contempt of court.
Hanson claimed the trouble started with the end of the White Australia policy in 1973 under Prime Minister Gough Whitlam, though the article notes the policy was gradually dismantled from the 1950s.
In footage from Robinson's podcast, Hanson said of Muslims: "They do breed," then corrected herself to "They are having children."
On December 14, 2025, a father and son murdered 15 people at a Hanukkah celebration at Sydney's Bondi beach, described as the worst terrorist attack on Jews globally since October 7 and the deadliest in Australian history.
Key figures
Jack Jacobs (author of the opinion piece)
Tony Abbott (former Australian Liberal prime minister)
Peta Credlin (former chief of staff to Abbott, Sky News Australia commentator)
Pauline Hanson (Queensland senator, One Nation founder)
Nigel Farage (British political figure)
Robert Jenrick (British political figure, recent Reform UK convert)
Rupert Lowe (leader of Restore Britain party)
Holly Valance (Australian-British singer)
Tommy Robinson (British activist)
Gough Whitlam (former Australian Labor prime minister)
Sources: The Guardian
