Pauline Hanson unloads on 'toxic'  universities over One Nation 'vaccine' event

By CAITLIN POWELL - NEWS REPORTER Published: 01:07, 27 May 2026 | Updated: 01:12, 27 May 2026 Senator Pauline Hanson has slammed a university event that labels One Nation as 'toxic', after an academic involved in the discussion claimed trade unions could act as a 'vaccine' against the agendas of far-right politicians. A flyer promoting the Australian Festival of Democracy and Human Rights, which will be held at The University of Queensland on June 5, specifically singled out Hanson's One Nation party. 'With the first ever election of a One Nation Lower House MP, Australia is joining other advanced democracies in grappling with the rise of the far right,' the event flyer reads. It describes a 'phenomenon that has seen the US democracy crumbling under Trump's MAGA (Make America Great Again) regime'. 'In this presentation, we discuss the problems of the far right through the lens of equality, truth and democratic legitimacy and propose solutions to counter its toxic gravitational pull,' the description adds. Hanson slammed the university for hosting the event and said her party 'actively tried to improve democracy' and 'championed equality'. 'Adelaide University are hosting an event led by lefty students and professors to promote a 'vaccine' for One Nation voters!' a One Nation post on social media quipped. 'Our message to them is: you better have one hell of a factory producing these vaccines because our numbers continue to grow!' Senator Pauline Hanson has taken offence at a university event that names One Nation as 'toxic' and infers it is one of the far right parties impacting democracy Pictured, promotional material for the Australian Festival of Democracy and Human Rights She said the event shows 'how out-of-touch universities have become with normal Australians'. 'Students are being indoctrinated, not educated, and told what to think rather (than) being taught how to think for themselves,' Hanson said. 'Australians aren't buying it anymore.' Daily Mail's political editor Peter van Onselen said universities are being selective in which political ideologies they criticise or label as extreme. 'This isn't about who they invite to an event or what label they slap on One Nation, it's about intellectual selectivity,' he said. 'They'll scrutinise the so-called "far right" but never the ideological left that dominates university life. 'If universities were serious about challenging extremism, they'd critique the far left movements that are mainstays on campus. 'Instead, they single out One Nation while turning a blind eye to the left equivalent of political radicalism.' He added that universities don't describe the Greens as 'far left' because 'they don't want to'. The annual Australian Festival of Democracy and Human Rights will be hosted on the University of Queensland's Brisbane campus  (pictured) on June 5 'They probably don't even think that they are, even though the Greens are as 'far left' as One Nation is 'far right',' van Onselen said. 'The inconsistency tells you everything about political bias on some university campuses.' However, spokespeople for both UQ and Adelaide University have said that, while they do not endorse any views, they believe in academic freedom. 'The University is committed to academic freedom, where scholars and students are free from censorship or reprisal for expressing and debating views that are lawful,' US said in a statement to the Daily Mail. 'As a public institution, UQ maintains institutional neutrality and, in accordance with the governing legislation, is required to be impartial and apolitical across its activities.' At the event, there will be at least three talks about 'tackling the far right' with Adelaide University senior lecturers Dr Victoria Fielding, Dr Nathan Manning and Dr Djordje Stefanovic. Oscar Kaspi-Crutchett, from the Victorian Trades Hall Council, will present ideas from their report 'Antidote', which argues trade unionism is the 'best vaccine against far-right politics'. In the broadest sense, One Nation fits the characterisation of a 'far right, populist' party, and has aligned with the Trump administration on policy. For example, Hanson and members have called for a 'Trump-style immigration ban' since 2017. Immigration, and more clearly an anti-immigration stance, is the foundation of the party's beliefs. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.