Pauline Derangement Syndrome - 03 June, 2026

Added: 2026-06-03

[00:00:00]Good morning. I'm just looking at some anniversaries.

[00:00:03]John F. Kennedy would have been 109 on the weekend. Marilyn Monroe would have been 100.

[00:00:09]It's 25 years since Peter Falconio disappeared in the Northern Territory, murdered by Bradley Murdoch.

[00:00:18]Hard to figure, isn't it? Time flies.

[00:00:21]25 years since Peter disappeared, still no trace of the body.

[00:00:26]It was a mysterious business in many ways, wasn't it? Murdoch died in jail after being convicted of the murder. The only thing that I always found puzzling about it, although those who have watched it more closely find a lot puzzling about it, was that Murdoch's trained dog, Jack, couldn't find Joanne when she escaped from him. She was hiding 10 or 15 m away in scrubby stuff. It wasn't particularly thick.

[00:00:51]And uh after several hours, Jack couldn't find her. And Murdoch had a torch.

[00:00:57]I reckon our blokes here would uh find a stranger as I have 100, 200 m away in oh 10 seconds if they get the sniff.

[00:01:08]Anyway, another one of those mysteries people will be talking about down the years.

[00:01:14]As they will be the Pauline Hanson phenomenon when people look at Australian politics from this era. There's no doubt that she will be one of the things that people talk about.

[00:01:25]And I mentioned the other day that you know you're a threat to them when they start coming for you.

[00:01:31]Well, they're coming for her.

[00:01:33]In the Australian newspaper today, and I like the Australian, have since the first day it was printed. I think it remains Australia's best newspaper, best writers, best thinkers.

[00:01:41]But they've really got it in for uh Pauline.

[00:01:44]If there's a thing such as Trump derangement syndrome in America, I think they're about to have Hanson derangement syndrome here.

[00:01:51]One story I'll I'll read you a paragraph or so from a story from the news section and one from the opinion section.

[00:01:57]From the news section, "Defense Minister Richard Miles has warned xenophobia is making Australia less safe as it looks to engage with Asia in a veiled attack on anti-migrant rhetoric from One Nation and the coalition." So, they use that word xenophobia, Miles does.

[00:02:14]The same word, of course, that was thrown at Pauline Hanson all those years ago when she said, "Please explain."

[00:02:21]So, even then, whereas most politicians would pretend to know what the word meant when most Australians had no idea, Pauline said, "Please explain."

[00:02:31]So, this idea that she's xenophobic.

[00:02:35]Anyway, Miles told the Defending Australia Summit last night that Australia's security depended on building trust with partners in Asia and staring down entrenched institutional reflexes here in Australia. So, another shot at Hanson and One Nation.

[00:02:50]Days after Pauline Hanson said she had what it took to become Prime Minister, Miles said Australia's Asian neighbors were keenly observing what is going on.

[00:02:58]Do we really care, Richard, what our neighbors to the north think about what we're doing in our great democracy?

[00:03:04]They should surely try to emulate it. We help our northern neighbors. That's great.

[00:03:10]But, don't be concerned about what they're thinking concerning our democracy. Explain to them what's happening in our democracy.

[00:03:16]That once One Nation is surging because of your incompetence and that of your political opponents.

[00:03:22]I loathe it when they start using these forums to criticize their own country or to talk about dangers that don't exist.

[00:03:33]He said, "For those who are tempted to walk down a path of xenophobia, it not only undermines our social cohesion, it fundamentally makes us less safe."

[00:03:42]What a lot of garbage.

[00:03:44]On the opinion pages, Paul Kelly, one of our great political analysts and journalists, says it is likely our democracy has lurched into a blind confusion, revolting against the system and the older parties, but without any governing assessment of whether people want Hanson as their PM running the economy, their taxes, foreign policy, and representing the nation in the world."

[00:04:09]Well, Paul, we've never had that chance.

[00:04:11]So, how can the people have a say on it?

[00:04:15]He says this, "Let's get the truth up front.

[00:04:19]Let's get the truth up front.

[00:04:21]Pauline Hanson is a non-commodity.

[00:04:24]She is not fit in any sense to be Prime Minister of this country." See, I don't recall a journalist ever saying that about a a senior politician in this country. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe you can remember such a time. I can't.

[00:04:36]He says, "Don't fall for the cheap jibe she couldn't be worse than Albo."

[00:04:41]Well, Paul, she couldn't.

[00:04:43]She couldn't.

[00:04:45]Paul says, "That's nonsense.

[00:04:47]Hanson would be far worse than Albanese.

[00:04:50]She would threaten every aspect of this country from its prosperity to its cohesion, leading a party that has built nothing and shows no capacity to exercise executive power."

[00:05:00]Going to say those kinds of things.

[00:05:01]That's That's pretty serious. You got You got to You got to make the argument.

[00:05:07]How she would be dangerous for this country when she's never been in a position to show us what she would do in any executive position. She's not going to be.

[00:05:16]It's a hypothetical situation.

[00:05:20]But, the fact that they're going so hard after her really reflects the nature of the threat she poses to the major parties.

[00:05:28]And for a lot of people, that's not in their interests.

[00:05:32]Towards the end of Paul's article, he he then called on all the organ organs who impact public opinion. I would think he's implying all the other newspapers.

[00:05:41]Everyone who has a say in the public square to stop giving One Nation a free ride.

[00:05:49]To stop giving Pauline Hanson a free ride. A free ride?

[00:05:53]They've been after her for 30 years.

[00:05:56]They've stacked those stacked the preference deals against her.

[00:06:00]They sent her to jail on trumped-up charges. She did 11 weeks.

[00:06:04]Some say that wasn't much. They should try it sometime.

[00:06:10]So, if that's what a free ride looks like, I think I'd rather pay the fare.

[00:06:15]Have a great day.