A recent Scanlon Foundation report with the Australian National University reveals a significant shift in Australian public opinion regarding immigration and multiculturalism. The survey of over 10,000 people shows 59% of Australians now believe immigration levels are too high, up from 52% the previous year and 33% in 2023. Support for multiculturalism has also declined, dropping to 76% from 83% in 2025. The findings indicate that One Nation supporters are driving this trend, with 93% of them believing immigration is too high and only 44% supporting multiculturalism. The report also highlights worsening attitudes towards Muslim and Jewish communities, with negative views towards Muslims rising from 29% in 2022 to 43% in 2026, and negative views towards Jews increasing from 8% to 18% over the same period. Notably, One Nation voters show the lowest trust in government, with only 9% trusting the current government to do the right thing, compared to 60% of Labor supporters. The report identifies that while economic concerns like cost of living drive some of these views, there are also significant social and political shifts contributing to declining support for immigration and diversity. Despite these trends, the report notes that large majorities across all political parties agree immigrants make good citizens, with support ranging from 76% among One Nation voters to 94% among Labor and Greens supporters. The findings suggest that while anti-immigration sentiment is growing, there remains a strong underlying support for diversity and multiculturalism in Australia.

Victoria Police has issued a fresh statement regarding the assault of a One Nation volunteer to clarify detectives are not treating the incident as politically motivated.

One Nation is using provocative online cartoons to reinforce its political identity and appeal to potential supporters, according to Crikey media correspondent Christopher Warren. The party's fortnightly animated series, Please Explain, combines traditional Australian political cartooning with children's television characters, internet memes and culture war references to mock political opponents and groups it frequently criticises. The cartoons have attracted millions of views across platforms such as Facebook and YouTube. Their content has included misogynistic material targeting Senator Jacqui Lambie, prompting party leader Pauline Hanson to offer a qualified apology. The offending video was subsequently removed, but Warren argues that public criticism and attempts to embarrass the party are unlikely to change its approach. One particularly controversial example involved Bluey, the popular Australian children's television character, appearing in a One Nation-authorised colouring-in book. The illustration depicted the character being threatened at knifepoint on a crime-affected Melbourne street, with Victorian Labor Premier Ben Carroll laughing in the background. The ABC raised the possibility of legal action over the unauthorised use of its intellectual property. Bluey had also appeared in earlier One Nation cartoons depicting vigilante violence against political figures. Other episodes have featured ABC children's television characters, including Jemima and Big Ted from Play School, in violent scenes targeting Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. The series also uses familiar fictional characters and cultural references to caricature politicians, including Julia Gillard, Jacinta Allan and Clive Palmer. Warren argues that this style of political communication is designed to provoke outrage rather than encourage conventional policy debate. By targeting women, migrants, First Nations people, people with disabilities and other perceived opponents, the cartoons reinforce the party's anti-establishment identity while using humour as a defence against criticism. The article also references a 2021 European Commission warning that extremist movements increasingly use humour to normalise radical positions and blur the boundaries between satire and potentially harmful messaging. Please Explain creator and One Nation candidate Mark Nicholson defended the series as an attempt to support the country and satire, while declining to apologise for the Lambie cartoon. Warren concludes that the controversy is not an accidental consequence of the cartoons but an integral part of their political appeal.

This is the second part of a series. A note of candour: part one promised the mining paddock. In researching and fact-checking this instalment, the author found the Two Davids needed a part of their [...

Why Victoria should hand One Nation the keys for four years, and let the rest of us watch.

The incident underscores mounting anxieties over the safety of campaign volunteers and the increasingly volatile nature of public discourse as the Victorian state election approaches.