" Multiculturalism Has Come Back to Bite Us During Pandemic": A CDA Of Pauline Hanson's Statements on COVID-19.

Pauline Hanson has long been a controversial political figure, renowned for her xenophobic views. Like other radical right populists, her political discourse is based on the exclusionary opposition between ‘the people’ and various ‘Others’. The present study analysed Pauline Hanson’s political discourse, focusing on a collection of statements and news published on her official website https://www.senatorhanson.com.au/) on the implications of COVID-19 for the Australian society and economy. The analysis applied CDA to the study of populist political discourse. In particular, the study explored the way actors and facts are framed, investigating how the 2020 COVID-19 crisis has been exploited to support nativist policies, feeding fears, and scapegoating ‘the Other’ for the nation’s problems. The COVID-19 pandemic seems to have offered Hanson an opportunity to attack minorities and immigrants. In particular, through her political communication, echoing Donald Trump’s Sinophobic language, Hanson has sought to exploit the COVID-19 crisis to manufacture anti-Chinese sentiments in Australia to legitimise her party’s standing on issues like immigration. Hanson’s populist rhetoric has also been articulated through attacks on international organisations like the World Health Organisation and the United Nations. Moreover, she vowed to refuse a coronavirus vaccine and appeared to support conspiracy theories and misinformation.