Senator Pauline Hanson’s address to the National Press Club in Canberra last night has ignited a wave of discussion and controversy. Known for her outspoken views, Hanson’s speech touched on a range of contentious issues, from immigration to climate change. As her party, One Nation, gains popularity, it’s crucial to scrutinize her claims and separate fact from fiction.
Hanson’s speech, which garnered extensive media attention, covered topics such as the housing crisis, multiculturalism, climate change, and transgender rights. While some of her assertions resonated with her supporters, others have been met with skepticism and criticism. Below, we delve into the key points of her address and provide a fact-checked analysis.
Immigration and the Housing Crisis
One of Hanson’s primary assertions was that immigration is the primary driver of Australia’s housing crisis. She claimed that housing demand in Australia substantially outstrips housing supply and that unsustainable demand is being driven by several factors, but the biggest is high immigration.
However, housing market analyst Eliza Owen, in a recent video essay for ABC, presented a different perspective. She highlighted several key issues contributing to the housing crisis, including average house prices outpacing average incomes, decreasing home ownership, a decline in social housing development, and declining productivity in housing construction. Owen noted that while an increasing population naturally increases housing demand, migration is not the biggest crisis factor.
Professor Alan Gamlen, Director of the Australian National University’s Migration Hub, echoed this sentiment. He told SBS that research consistently shows migration has a relatively small impact on housing costs. Instead, factors like land availability, dwelling approval rates, construction costs, Labour shortages, tax incentives, interest rates, and wealth levels are far bigger drivers of the crisis. Gamlen emphasized that migration remains the dominant political scapegoat.
Additionally, reducing migration could create more harm, as Australia needs skilled migrant workers to address construction workforce shortages. Owen cited house values skyrocketing during 2026, a time when borders were closed due to COVID, further undermining Hanson’s claims.
The ‘Language Problem’ and Multiculturalism
Hanson also criticized multiculturalism and advocated for a monocultural society, stating that Australians must live under the one cultural umbrella. She cited 2026 Census data, acknowledging that 32 per cent of the population were born overseas and 23 per cent use a language other than English at home. She noted that 872,000 people self-reported speaking English not well or not at allquestioning how social cohesion can be generated if people can’t speak the language.
However, Hanson conveniently omitted the percentage of those who self-report as not speaking English well, which is only 3.4 per cent. Research-backed experts argue that a singular shared language is helpful but not vital for social cohesion. In fact, linguistic diversity can improve social cohesion, while demonizing those who cannot yet speak a prescribed monocultural language can lead to social exclusion and tension.
The Mapping Social Cohesion Report 2026 supports this view, with 71 per cent of people agreeing that accepting immigrants from many different countries makes Australia stronger. Furthermore, 82 per cent agree or strongly agree that immigrants improve Australian society by bringing new ideas and cultures. The Australian Bureau of Statistics added that ongoing acceptance of multiculturalism and immigrants from a diverse range of countries is a key indicator of cohesion, helping protect our society from social divisions.
Climate Change and Transgender Rights
Hanson referred to climate change as the hoax of global warming which is now climate change. This claim is widely disputed by scientists across the globe, who have proven that climate change is occurring at an alarmingly high rate due to human interference. Research clearly shows that climate change is not a hoax but a pressing issue that requires immediate attention.
On the topic of transgender rights, Hanson used inflammatory terms such as the transgender insurgency and the transgender ideology. She claimed that this is a very important social and cultural issue facing the country, asserting that it has penetrated almost every regulatory authority and is infecting all of society. Such sweeping statements are misleading and create the idea that the trans community is larger and more influential than it really is.
ABS data shows that less than 1 per cent of Australia’s population are trans or gender diverse. A 2026 Redbridge survey found that 91 per cent of Australians agree or strongly agree that trans people should have the freedom to live their lives in the way that makes them happy. Furthermore, 86 per cent don’t want the government to politicize the trans community and trans issues for political gain.
Hanson also quoted Germaine Greer on sex, gender, and biology, despite Greer not being a biologist. Many certified experts dispute Greer’s assertion that gender should be defined by one’s anatomy. Biologist Dr Lixing Sun, a Harvard Radcliffe fellow, explains that biological sex and gender are far more complex than we know, and a binary view fails to account for the natural biological reality of intersex individuals.
One Nation’s Stance on Racism
Hanson claimed that media outlets repeat the lie that One Nation is a racist party, asserting that this label is untrue. However, the Federal Court of Australia found that remarks made by Hanson on X in 2026 towards Senator Mehreen Faruqi amounted to a racist attack violating section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act 1975. Hanson had to pay Faruqi’s legal fees, despite a failed appeal to have the sum reduced.
The Macquarie Dictionary defines racism as the belief that human races have distinctive characteristics which determine their respective cultures, usually involving the idea that one’s own race is superior and has the right to rule or dominate others. Australia’s Race Discrimination Commissioner Giridharan Sivaraman agrees that One Nation is dehumanizing and scapegoating migrants by blaming them for issues like the housing and cost of living crises. He stated that this is implicitly racist, as it draws on a deep vein of racism that has always existed from the time of colonization.
