How Hanson became the de facto leader of the opposition

SMH · James Massola · Saturday 6 June 2026

How Hanson became the de facto leader of the opposition

Pauline Hanson’s decision to speak at the National Press Club this month shows the political landscape in Australia has changed. Has she changed with it?

Hanson hasn't changed a syllable in thirty years. The Liberals dissolved around her like a sandcastle at high tide, and the gallery needs someone to quote, so here she is at the Press Club — de facto opposition leader by sheer act of standing still. Talleyrand outlasted five French regimes by never being the most disposable man in the room. She's managed it by being the last one upright.

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