Key facts
- Progressive campaigners and unionists are advised not to personally attack Pauline Hanson or call her a racist.
- The advice comes from strategists for the Victorian election campaign.
- Training sessions by Trades Hall Council and GetUp emphasize engaging with legitimate economic concerns.
- Attacking Hanson's character may confirm to voters that she is an outsider being attacked by the establishment.
- Trades Hall researcher Oscar Kaspi-Crutchett suggests framing Hanson's racism as a political device rather than a personal flaw.
- Campaigners are advised to focus on economic issues and avoid fact-checking conspiracy theories.
Progressive campaigners and unionists preparing for the Victorian election have been instructed to avoid personal attacks on One Nation leader Pauline Hanson, including labeling her a racist. The directive, issued by strategists from groups like GetUp and the Trades Hall Council, aims to foster more productive one-on-one conversations with potential One Nation voters by focusing on their economic concerns rather than attacking Hanson's character.
According to GetUp strategists, personal attacks, while tempting, can inadvertently reinforce the perception among voters that Hanson is an outsider being targeted by the establishment. This strategic shift is informed by research conducted after the Farrer byelection and aligns with advice from Trades Hall, which has been conducting training sessions for major unions. Oscar Kaspi-Crutchett, a senior researcher at Trades Hall, suggested that while ignoring Hanson's racism may not be feasible, it should be presented as a political strategy to divide groups rather than a mere character flaw.
Campaigners are also being advised not to lead with criticisms of Hanson's ties to her benefactor, Gina Rinehart, unless such points arise organically in conversation. Instead, the focus should be on addressing voters' underlying economic dissatisfaction and concerns about the status quo, such as housing affordability, rather than engaging with conspiracy theories. This approach marks a departure from previous campaign tactics that involved direct personal attacks on right-wing figures.