High school and university students are preparing to walk out of classes across Australia on Thursday in protest against Pauline Hanson and One Nation, as the party’s surge in support prompts a new wave of political activism among younger Australians.
The national action, promoted under the banner “Students Say No to Hanson”, is expected to include demonstrations in major cities on August 13. Melbourne organisers have advertised a 2pm gathering at the State Library, while student groups in other capitals are promoting similar events.
The protests come as One Nation records levels of support well above those seen for much of its history. A Roy Morgan poll conducted in late July put the party’s primary vote at 25.5 per cent, ahead of the Coalition on 22 per cent and behind Labor on 27.5 per cent. Other recent polling has also placed One Nation around or ahead of the major parties at different points, although figures vary between pollsters.
Monash University political scientist Dr Benjamin Moffitt said the political consequences of One Nation’s rise extended to teenagers who were not yet eligible to vote.
“One Nation’s rise in the polls doesn’t just affect those who can vote, it also affects young people. Many of them can’t cast a ballot yet, but they’re the ones who’ll live longest with the climate the party is trying to create, and who see its messaging aimed squarely at the diverse, multicultural Australia they’ve grown up in. Walking out of class is how they get a say that the ballot box doesn’t yet give them.”
The walkout has generated its own political argument, particularly over whether students should leave school to take part and over the involvement of anti-capitalist organisers. Promotional material circulated ahead of Thursday has encouraged students to organise classmates through social media, posters and group chats, while the National Union of Students has backed the action. Hanson’s camp has criticised the mobilisation and urged students to concentrate on their education and form their own political views.
Moffitt said student resistance to parties on the populist and radical right had precedents overseas.
“The recent re-emergence of One Nation as a political force has made a big impact on Australian political parties. The Coalition appears unable to counter One Nation’s ability to attract voters at their expense, while Labor continues to be exposed to the One Nation electoral threat”
“This kind of youth mobilisation against the radical right isn’t unique to Australia. In France, high school students have repeatedly walked out and blockaded their schools to protest the National Rally: in 2017, again in 2022, and during the 2024 snap election. Germany saw huge youth-led demonstrations against the AfD after its ‘remigration’ plans came to light, and tens of thousands turned out against the FPÖ-led coalition in Austria. What’s distinctive about the Australian case is that One Nation isn’t a new arrival – it’s been a fixture for nearly thirty years – yet it’s now drawing the kind of organised student response more often seen in response to Europe’s insurgent radical-right parties.”
Associate Professor Zareh Ghazarian, head of Politics and International Relations at the Monash School of Social Sciences, said the demonstrations were likely to divide public opinion.
“The planned walkout to protest One Nation will be polarising in the community. One thing that cannot be ignored, however, is that young Australians continue to be at the forefront of political engagement in this country.”
One Nation has increasingly placed pressure on the established parties as its polling support has grown. The party is also preparing to contest November’s Victorian election and this month unveiled its first group of candidates for the state campaign.
Ghazarian said the shift was affecting both sides of federal politics.
“The recent re-emergence of One Nation as a political force has made a big impact on Australian political parties. The Coalition appears unable to counter One Nation’s ability to attract voters at their expense, while Labor continues to be exposed to the One Nation electoral threat.”
The walkouts will give students too young to vote a visible role in that debate, but Ghazarian said the protests could have an unintended benefit for the party they are opposing.
“While the planned protest will provide a platform for young people to have their say, it will also further lift the profile of Pauline Hanson and One Nation and demonstrate how the party continues to impact the political and policy debate in Australia.”
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