Progressive strategists urge Victoria campaigners to avoid personal attacks on Pauline Hanson

The short version

• Campaign strategists instructed progressive activists and unionists to refrain from calling Pauline Hanson a racist ahead of the Victorian election.[The Guardian]
• Training run by GetUp and the Victorian Trades Hall Council warns that insulting One Nation figures drives voters toward the party.[The Guardian]
• The tactical shift follows polling research by Redbridge after GetUp previously spent heavily on attack ads during the Farrer byelection.[The Guardian]
• Whether the new conversational strategy will counter One Nation's recent polling surge and byelection gains remains to be seen.[The Guardian]

Key facts

• Strategists instructed progressive activists and union members not to personally attack Pauline Hanson or label her a racist before the Victorian election.[The Guardian]
• The strategic change comes after One Nation secured wins in state and federal byelections, won seats in South Australia, and saw increased public support.[The Guardian]
• Training held by the Victorian Trades Hall Council and GetUp warned members that failing to address economic concerns and attacking Hanson could inadvertently steer voters to One Nation.[The Guardian]
• GetUp previously spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on advertisements attacking Hanson and Barnaby Joyce during the Farrer byelection.[The Guardian]
• The operational reset was informed by research conducted by polling firm Redbridge following the Farrer byelection.[The Guardian]

Sources

Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.

• Do not call her a racist: anti-Pauline Hanson strategists tell campaigners character attacks won’t work in VictoriaThe Guardian - World