One Nation's Rise Exposes Liberal Party's Identity Crisis
The surge in support for One Nation is not a political anomaly — it is the foreseeable consequence of a Liberal Party that lost its way, according to Sydney-based commentator and former Liberal supporter Jaimie Johnstone.
Appearing on the Two Worlds Collide podcast, Johnstone spoke candidly about his disillusionment with the party he once backed, and why he believes the Liberals are compounding their problems by publicly targeting One Nation rather than examining their own record.
"One Nation haven't come knocking on anyone's door," Johnstone said. "People have simply recognised that One Nation is articulating what they've believed their whole lives. It's the Liberal Party that walked away from those values — not the other way around."
His frustration was sparked by comments from shadow treasurer Angus Taylor and other senior Liberals who criticised One Nation as they attempt to rebuild the coalition's primary vote. Johnstone argued that approach is not only counter-productive but tone-deaf to why voters left in the first place.
The grievances he outlined span more than a generation of Coalition governance. Net zero emissions policy, gender identity legislation, the handling of war crime allegations against Australian soldiers, and an unreformed Sex Discrimination Act — all, he said, occurred or went unaddressed during years of Liberal rule. "They've got a fair bit to answer for," Johnstone said bluntly.
The financial record drew particular scrutiny. The Liberals — historically the party of fiscal discipline — oversaw a dramatic expansion of government spending during the COVID pandemic, including payments to high-income earners that were neither means-tested nor asset-tested. Australia's national debt has since crossed the one-trillion-dollar mark, a trajectory Johnstone attributes in part to that period of unchecked spending. Record immigration levels in the post-pandemic years added to the sense, among many former Liberal voters, that the party had become indistinguishable from its opponents.
"If you're an ordinary Australian who doesn't follow politics closely and you look back at the last 20 years, you're asking: how are these parties actually different?" Johnstone said. "That's a real danger for the Liberals."
The conversation also turned to One Nation leader Pauline Hanson's recently announced first-100-days agenda. Among the headline commitments: abolishing the federal Department of Climate Change — a move Johnstone estimated would free up around $40 billion — and signalling a potential review of Australia's financial contributions to international bodies including the World Economic Forum, the United Nations, and the World Health Organisation.
NDIS expenditure, which has ballooned well beyond original projections, was also flagged as an area ripe for reform. Johnstone suggested that taken together, the savings on the table could represent tens of billions of dollars annually — money that could be redirected or returned to taxpayers.
For Johnstone and the growing bloc of voters who have followed a similar path, the message to the Liberals is straightforward: stop blaming One Nation for your losses, and start explaining what you actually stand for.
Frequently Asked Questions
Critics argue the Liberal Party drifted from its traditional values on fiscal responsibility, immigration, and social policy over two decades, leaving voters who still hold those positions with nowhere else to go — and One Nation ready to receive them.
Hanson's plan reportedly includes abolishing the Department of Climate Change, reviewing Australia's membership costs in international bodies like the WEF, UN, and WHO, and reforming NDIS expenditure — measures proponents say could save tens of billions of dollars.
Australia's national debt has exceeded one trillion dollars, a level that critics trace in part to large, untargeted pandemic-era spending under the previous Coalition government.