You can’t have democracy without good journalism. You get the leaders your journalism produces. Pauline Hanson walked into the National Press Club — her first address in 30 years in parliament — and the press gallery proved the point in real time. No costings. No detail on nuclear. No follow-up on who funds her energy policy or why it was announced at a gas industry conference. Just “coal is good, wind turbines bad” — unchallenged. @GrogsGamut called it: “Congrats to the press gallery — you showed yourself utterly useless.” This isn’t about Hanson. It’s about the vacuum that produces her. One question. No follow-up. No accountability. That’s the journalism that’s enabled her for 30 yrs

An Italian family came with nothing to work on our farm in the late 1950s. Five decades later they owned the farm and several others in the area. They worked incredibly hard. The parents never learnt English nor became citizens but contributed hugely to Australia’s prosperity.

How far we have fallen since the days Oakes, Lyneham, Carleton and O’Brien?

Apparently criticising the fools who are pressured by the lobby is ‘antisemitic’ now. “What Wilcox’s cartoon did so brilliantly was to highlight how astroturfing works. “Hers was a classic political cartoon. “In the wake of the Bondi massacre in December, Netanyahu had gone so far as to blame our Prime Minister for the killings. “In the cartoon, he was beating the drum above the grass, the astro, where the Israel-supporting celebs, sportspeople, and politicians were clamouring for a Royal Commission. “Below the turf, Murdoch, Segal, Howard, et al., holding up the charade.” Vale the Press Council. Caves in to anonymous pressure campaign michaelwest.com.au/vale-the-… via @MichaelWestBiz

Dear immigrants, Please learn English with Poorlean! 😂😂🤡🤡 #auspol #NPC @PaulineHansonOz #abc730 @abcnews

March 9: "We're now totally independent of the Middle East. We don't need their oil." April 1: "It doesn't really affect us. We have so much oil. We have tremendous oil and gas, much more than we need." June 17: If I didn't agree to the MOU, we "would run out of reserves at about 4 weeks...we would really run out, and there'll be a time when you wouldn't be able to get it."

a yr or 2 ago we would not have seen this. Again a very clever response. She has a very good comms team (and others) behind her. Her comms have become far more sophisticated & nuanced. To counter her we need a different strategy. This is not politics as we know it