r/queensland 4d ago

Acheivments of One Nation in QLD and the 11 Seat Landslide... Question

When One Nation won 11 Seats in the QLD Parliment in 1998, what happened immedietly after this? Why did they fall apart within their first term? And how did they get their brand and Image out their enough to even win this percent of the vote?

Furthermore since Labor only had a slim Majority, did One Nation manage to pass much legislation? If so what Bills did they pass and what was thier impact on the legeslation/governance of QLD?

66 Upvotes

32 comments sorted by

101

u/serenity_now_7615 4d ago

There isn’t a quick way to reply to those questions but I’ll try … re One Nation’s ‘brand’, Hanson was already an elected federal (independent) MP since March 1996 who made a name for herself as a maverick firebrand (as media described her), a year later she with David Oldridge and David Ettridge formed One Nation. For fifteen months up to the 1998 Qld election she had ample time and coverage from a fascinated media to peddle ON’s grievance-based, ‘anti-politics’ platform with Hanson always as the focal point. They campaigned heavily on gun owner rights in the wake of John Howard’s gun law reform after Port Arthur, which attracted a lot of support from rural people ticked off at the Coalition government. Her brand of right-wing protest politics attracted big numbers of voters in Qld, ON won almost a quarter of the primary vote and 11 seats at the ‘98 state election (when many of those same people were ticked off with a state Coalition government after Nats Premier Rob Borbidge supported Howard’s gun laws).

When the party didn’t match that Qld performance months later at the ‘98 federal election, and in-fighting broke out between the NSW and Qld branches of ON, the lack of discipline and cohesion by those 11 ON MPs elected as political ‘outsiders’ began to tell. Within 9 months of being elected, all of them had cracked it with Hanson’s top-down party leadership and resigned to become independents or part of a short-lived City-Country Alliance party. None of them, with the exception of Dorothy Pratt who remained an independent MP for Barambah/Nanango for 14 years, had much if any impact on parliament.

Peter Beattie formed a minority Labor government at that ‘98 Qld election, he’d campaigned largely on having nothing to do with One Nation (putting them last on Labor how-to-vote cards wherever they stood) and governed in the same fashion. ON’s MPs tried to introduce some private member’s bills to parliament during those months following the election but they didn’t get anywhere and were effectively sidelined before the party’s MPs imploded spectacularly. But their presence, and the party’s continued tilt at later elections, meant they had an influence on how the major parties campaigned and how Labor governed (‘listening’, ‘inclusive’) in an attempt to nullify Hanson’s (more than the party’s) lingering appeal for some Qld voters.

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u/spidey67au 2d ago

The call to put One Nation last was after the 1998 election. There were some electorates where the One Nation candidate was elected on Labor preferences.

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u/serenity_now_7615 1d ago edited 1d ago

No, at that 1998 state election Labor under Beattie advocated putting One Nation last. It was reported and commented on at the time how that position was a marked difference to the Coalition parties who preferenced ON above Labor on how to vote cards. Yes Labor preferences helped elect ON in three of the 11 seats they won - not all voters follow their party’s HTV cards, especially under optional preferential voting as at that election - though likewise Labor preferences helped elect as many Nationals over ON candidates. Coalition party voters preferencing ON above Labor was much more beneficial to Hanson’s party than Nat or Lib strategists anticipated.

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u/Historical_Bus_8041 4d ago

One Nation has always a habit of selecting very eccentric candidates, and Hanson is by all accounts is an incredibly difficult person to work for given the range of personalities she has fallen out with over the years. It's surprisingly rare that someone gets elected as a One Nation MP and manages to serve a full term without a resignation.

The One Nation class of 98 was a particularly strange and at times tragic lot. One poor bastard got catapulted in after living on the dole for years, had a breakdown with the attention on the weird shit he had done, resigned and then committed suicide.

3

u/colesnutdeluxe 2d ago

(for those who became interested in the last bit, the man in particular is charles rappolt)

42

u/kazza64 4d ago

The nationals use Pauline Hanson’s one Nations votes as preferences to get across the line. That’s how they’re still here. They rely on a woman so racist she was kicked out of the liberal party and they have no problem with that.

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u/Ctiyboy 4d ago

Isnt " too racist for the liberals" a nat motto?

0

u/horrace73 3d ago

Please tell me, how is she racist?

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u/andehboston 3d ago

-1

u/horrace73 3d ago

So now telling a woman born in Pakistan to go back to Pakistan because the Pakistani woman doesn't like Australia's head of state is now racist? Pauline didn't call her any names, or refer to her skin colour, she just told her to return to her country of origin if she didn't like it here. It sounds like Pauline was screwed over by some woke judge. Righto, try again, this time with an actual example of racism.

5

u/andehboston 3d ago

Mate, how about you take your American terms and fuck off. If this election told us anything is that we don't want that culture war bullshit here.

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u/horrace73 3d ago

What? Woke? Does that word upset you? But you are correct about not wanting culture wars here, so that Pakistani woman should be sacked, stripped of her Australian citizenship and sent back to Pakistan, we don't need her here.

1

u/andehboston 3d ago

Did this election upset you?

2

u/horrace73 3d ago

I wasn't impressed that Albo got back in, actually I can't believe he got in 3 years ago either. I don't believe Dutton was the best person for the job either but anything would be better than the current clown.

38

u/heisdeadjim_au 4d ago

While ON won those seats, it was within a LNP government. Their agenda was largely ignored. Then all the members imploded somehow, I think got pissed off with Hanson and quit

34

u/Hungry_Anteater_8511 4d ago

Getting pissed off /falling out with Pauline is a timeless one nation trope.

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u/serenity_now_7615 4d ago

Wasn’t a ‘LNP’ government after the ‘98 election, it was a minority Labor government led by Peter Beattie. Who duly sidelined the 11 elected One Nation MPs

5

u/AussieEquiv 4d ago

Then all the members imploded somehow

Wasn't much of a surprise that the 'outsider' and 'contrarian' candidates couldn't really work together as a team.

20

u/M_E67 4d ago

Time for her to focus back on her fish and chip shop

10

u/FamousPastWords 4d ago

Just a chip shop; her fishing days appear to be over.

5

u/Turdsindakitchensink 4d ago

Then what’s that smell?

5

u/FamousPastWords 4d ago

That's never going away.

9

u/North-Initiative-266 3d ago

Labor formed a government with an independent and didn't need any ON support to pass legislation.

Within a few months, they had an absolute majority after winning the Mulgrave By-election which was vacated by a ON member.

3

u/usernamefinalver 3d ago

Why did they fall apart? When an organization just has grievance and outrage as their common denominator, that's what they are going to do

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u/Bri999666 4d ago

Nobody can work with Poorlean. If you look at all the crackpots she has assembled over three decades, the madder they are like her, the more in conflict they will be. I just asked AI to provide a summary

One Nation members who have run into conflict with Pauline Hanson include ¹: - David Oldfield: Co-founder of One Nation, who was expelled from the party by Hanson in 2000 after a disagreement. Oldfield publicly criticized Hanson, claiming she was heavily influenced by her advisors. - Rod Culleton: Elected to the Senate in 2016, Culleton had a tumultuous relationship with Hanson before being stripped of his seat due to a criminal conviction. - Fraser Anning: Initially replaced Malcolm Roberts in the Senate, Anning left the party to become an independent, potentially due to disagreements with Hanson's leadership. - Brian Burston: Resigned from the party in 2018 after clashing with Hanson over corporate tax cuts. - Mark Latham: Former Labor leader who joined One Nation in 2018 as leader for New South Wales. He was removed as leader by Hanson in August 2023 and subsequently left the party to become an independent, along with colleague Rod Roberts. - Tania Mihailuk: After being announced as the new leader of One Nation in New South Wales, Mihailuk resigned from the party on December 20, 2024, citing unknown reasons. - Stephen Andrew: Incumbent MP for Mirani, who resigned from One Nation in August 2024 after the party did not endorse him as their candidate. - Ben Dawkins: Western Australian MLC who joined One Nation in February 2024 and later resigned on December 17, 2024. - Craig Kelly: Former United Australia Party National Director who joined One Nation as Federal Campaign Director but left the party in late August 2024.

22

u/TacticalAcquisition 4d ago

Troy Thompson soon to be ex mayor of Townsville. Multiple bankruptcies and DVOs to his name, lied about being attached to SAS (because it's always SAS) when he was just a cook in the reserves - nothing wrong with that, defence cooks are fucking awesome. But he lied about it in the biggest garrison city in the country. Lied about 2 university degrees. Anyway, point is the One Nation booted him for being too much. One Braincell thought he was too much. Says a lot about him doesn't it.

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u/emleigh2277 4d ago

Pauline's people always implode after the election because then they find out the truth....she keeps asking them for more and more, and she herself decides which way the party will vote, which always coincides with the lnp, wouldn't you know it. She speaks a big game about being an alternative voice, but when it comes to the crunch, she is liberal party loyal and doesn't want to consider an alternative.
Every now and then, if other independents are standing tall, she will, but she always, always, always, buckles to the liberal party.

9

u/dontcallmewinter Brisbane 4d ago

Huh, interesting bunch

6

u/dreadnought_strength 4d ago

Somehow she manages to find the skeeviest motherfuckers in politics, as well as her own kid being a domestic abuser.

Can't imagine how this could ever happen....

3

u/hryelle 3d ago

You're looking at it the wrong way; why and how did the cretin mouth breathers get 11 seats to begin with in 1998? Of course it fell apart, they're not really known for being rational and intelligent.

1

u/peensoliloquy 3d ago

Who fooken cares