Nationalism, populism and climate scepticism in Australia: comparing radical and conservative, centre-right discourses

Climate scepticism and hostility to climate policy are common features of populist radical right (PRR) parties. Yet these attributes emerged first in many established conservative centre-right (CCR) parties, especially in Anglophone countries. Given these overlaps, and the growing support for PRR in many countries, are CCR parties also recruiting PRR or developing their own distinctive brand of nationalist populism to legitimate opposition to climate policy? These questions are addressed via a comparative discourse analysis of opposition to climate policy by the ‘Pauline Hanson’s One Nation Party’ (Australia’s signature PRR party) and the influential climate sceptic faction within the Liberal-National Coalition (a CCR alliance). We found a remarkable convergence of discourses grounded in an exclusionary political, economic and extractivist resource nationalism, overlayed/reinforced with populism. Our study challenges the categorical differences between CCR and PRR parties and shows how factions within CCR parties can mobilise PPR to thwart national climate policy.