Anthony McDonald

The polls have turned terribly for them since the budget.

Rates are going up.

The economy is slowing.

Business and consumer confidence has crashed.

and the government's feeling the heat.

And the government's problem is not just these tax changes, it's the general direction of the economy.

That's what's really driving the discontent here.

So when you've got a restaurant owner looking out there at their restaurant and half the tables are empty, and then there's this whole tax changes thing in the air, and they're wondering why people aren't spending, they just lump it all together, put it all under the topic of discontent, I think, which has really turned into a movement.

James, you had a great discussion with NAB CEO Andrew Irvine, who runs the country's biggest business bank, for the AFR's interview series earlier this week.

I really liked how he framed this debate.

How does he see it?

Oh, 100%, it has, James.

I mean, that door was already opening.

And like I said before, it comes down to discontent, you know, voters feeling like life's harder.

The big swing factor is the economy, or to be even more specific, the hip pocket.

It's a global theme, you know, incumbent governments, incumbent political parties are under more pressure and have been since the financial crisis as voters are getting more frustrated, you know, as they feel like...

The political system's not working for them anymore.

The days of easy growth and rising incomes and productivity and just living standards being better just aren't there anymore for them.

So, you know, that's what's fueling this One Nation rise.

I mean, Donald Trump's been elected twice on it in the US and now we're seeing One Nation tap into it here.