2018/02/05 by Andy Fleming, Aurélien Mondon · 1 voice · 1 citation
Arts and Humanities · Social Sciences · #American Political and Social Dynamics #Populism, Right-Wing Movements #Youth Education and Societal Dynamics
paper · doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190274559.013.32
openalex publication_date 2018/02/05 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/11
Compared to its European counterparts, Australia was for the most part spared the rise of powerful extreme right movements, and at times appeared immune to their appeal. However, rather than immunity, the absence of extreme right politics can be explained by the ability and willingness of mainstream politics to readily, openly, and officially absorb such values. This chapter discusses how, for most of the country’s history, Australian mainstream politicians suffocated the extreme right, not merely by borrowing some key ideas of the extreme right, but by negating entirely its ability to appear as an alternative to the power in place. It then turns to the 1990s and explores the rise of Hansonism and its impact on mainstream politics. The final part of the chapter is dedicated to the current state of radical right politics in Australia.