# The banner that explains One Nation's rise

> A roadside sign saying 'Centrelink is evil' reveals why struggling communities are turning to One Nation.
- Title: The banner that explains One Nation's rise · the Guardian
- Summary: A roadside sign saying 'Centrelink is evil' reveals why struggling communities are turning to One Nation. Frustration with bureaucratic welfare systems in…
- Keywords: one nation, centrelink, welfare, inequality, cowper, pacific highway, rural australia, poverty, government support, news, politics, banner
- Source: the Guardian — https://theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/oct/11/cowper-centrelink-welfare-inequality-australians-turning-to-one-nation-ntwnfb
- Published: 2026-10-10T19:00:06+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: one nation, centrelink, welfare, inequality, cowper, pacific highway, rural australia, poverty, government support, news, politics
## Towns along the highway turn angry
The drive north from Sydney along the Pacific Highway is lined with towns that are potentially prey for One Nation. Roadside signs once disputed climate change and the voice referendum.
## A banner near Port Macquarie speaks volumes
Near Port Macquarie, a homemade installation supports One Nation and declares Fire the Liars. A banner strung between trees says: CENTRELINK IS EVIL.

> CENTRELINK IS EVIL
## Cowper is Australia's sixth least resilient
The electorate of Cowper, bookended by Port Macquarie and Coffs Harbour, is one of the least resilient communities in Australia, according to a Redbridge survey.
## The banner is not what it seems
The banner speaks to frustration in an area with above average unemployment, more poverty, lower education, and difficulty securing benefits people are due.
## The system wears people down
Calling Centrelink evil speaks to exasperation with endless complicated forms, hours on hold, and fear that computers may say no, as happened with robodebt.
## Nearly four million Australians live in poverty
Nearly four million Australians including seven hundred fifty seven thousand children live in poverty, with insecure food and housing and manifestly inadequate public support.
## Bureaucracy erodes trust in government
US journalist Annie Lowrey documents in The Time Tax how frustration with overly bureaucratic systems eroded trust in government and helped create conditions for Donald Trump's election.
## One Nation voters reject the prime minister
One Nation voters put Prime Minister Anthony Albanese between Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un, with a net negative confidence score of eighty two, according to the Lowy Institute.
## Real people are hurting and being exploited
Real people are hurting and being egged on by dishonourable agents who sense their pain but have no capacity to address it. Addressing inequity is the job of a progressive government.
## Key takeaway

Frustration with bureaucratic welfare systems in disadvantaged Australian communities is driving support for One Nation, not a desire to cut welfare itself.