'Zip': Hanson has no answers for challenges facing Australia, says Rudd

Former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has sharply criticized One Nation leader Pauline Hanson, asserting she lacks the understanding and capability to govern the nation. Speaking from London, Rudd described Hanson's political strategy as a consistent "politics of protest" laced with division, arguing it offers no practical solutions to Australia's complex challenges.

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It's very easy to play the politics of protest. It's very hard to do the grinding business of government, which looks after practical problems of national security ... of the economy and growing it, environmental sustainability ... and delivering basic services for the Australian people, including housing affordability, which has been eating away so badly at people's standard of living over a long period of time.

Rudd, now global president of the Asia Society think tank, contrasted Hanson's approach with the "grinding business of government." He outlined critical areas such as national security, economic growth, environmental sustainability, and essential services like housing affordability, stating that effective governance requires practical responses to these issues. "The easy business of politics is simply to act as a protest vector and then lace it and spice it with the politics of race," Rudd said, noting that Hanson's script has remained unchanged for a quarter-century.

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The hard business of government is to come up with practical responses to each of those challenges. The easy business of politics is simply to act as a protest vector and then lace it and spice it with the politics of race.

Turning to international affairs, Rudd, who holds a doctorate in Chinese President Xi Jinping studies, addressed China's expanding military capabilities. He specifically highlighted China's growing submarine fleet, which he noted now rivals the U.S. Pacific submarine fleet in number. Rudd reiterated his support for Australia's AUKUS agreement, which includes acquiring nuclear-powered submarines, viewing it as a vital enhancement to the Royal Australian Navy's capacity to safeguard sovereign interests in the Indo-Pacific region.

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That's what Ms Hanson's been doing ever since she emerged in my fair state of Queensland, a quarter of a century ago. Her script hasn't changed.