Health leaders and organisations have an important role in highlighting the wide-ranging harms to communities and their health from far-right populism. A roundtable convened by Croakey Health Media this week addressed these concerns, focusing on the implications for health. Participants discussed how the rise of far-right movements is undermining the credibility of evidence, trust, and social cohesion, while also targeting specific groups including First Nations people, migrants, refugees, and LGBTIQ+ communities.
Understanding the threat
Dr Tim Senior, a GP and member of Croakey Health Media, told the roundtable that far-right assertions are not made in good faith and shouldn’t be treated as such. Many of their leaders and supporters are not interested in policy discussions or manifestos. “Taking it on as if it’s a rational debate or a policy discussion is missing the point entirely,” Senior said.
However, he believes many people fed up with the major parties are looking for a reason not to support the far right. Senior noted that Australia’s diverse healthcare workforce offers a positive counterweight to parties whipping up immigration fears. Promoting discussions on the contributions of migrants to Australia’s health and aged care systems can shift conversations from abstract principles to concrete discussions about people’s lives.
Talking about the workforce prompts different questions, like “who will look after your elderly mum?” or “where will your town find a doctor?”. Senior argued that without migration, the whole health system falls over. This approach is also urged by Farah Farouque, CEO of the Ethnic Communities’ Council of Victoria (ECCV), who has written that migration and multiculturalism “are woven into the fabric of our health and care systems”.
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Global trends and local response
Croakey’s discussion on populism took place as the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) came close to winning a majority of votes in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. The Lowy Institute reports that Germany is not the first western polity to face a “proudly radical (and radicalising) far right,” but it might have been a bit slower to get there. At the same time, One Nation is again high in the polls following its recent win in Western Australia.
The Global Project Against Hate and Extremism turned its attention to Australia this week, describing our “thriving far-right scene.” Its latest report documents growing far-right influence, transnational connections, neo-Nazi networks, anti-immigrant movements, and targeting of transgender people.
Health systems under pressure
Attacks on human rights and public health principles are broadening, participants told the roundtable. Croakey director and health policy expert Alison Verhoeven said disinformation, particularly around family violence and vaccination, means these are now contentious issues. More broadly, there is a growing pushback against evidence that threatens to wind back public health gains made over decades.
The Federal Opposition recently reneged on long-standing support for tobacco control, announcing plans to cut tobacco excise by 80 percent. Verhoeven said for the sake of the health of all Australians, health leaders and organisations must stand up to parties that don’t respect evidence. They must call out poor and harmful policies and demand these receive fulsome interrogation by media and the public broadcaster.
However, the roundtable heard challenges lie in these efforts. At a time of meta-crises, including climate breakdown and a tsunami of misinformation, the forces driving support for the far-right are likely to escalate. US journalist Jason Dove Mark writes that we are experiencing collective amnesia about deteriorating social and environmental conditions, making it difficult to remember what summers were like before recent heatwaves or what social life was like before social media.
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Strategies for resistance
Adjunct Professor Ginny Barbour, Editor in Chief of The Medical Journal of Australia, worries about the “normalisation of misinformation” in the public sphere. She said the far right uses fear as a tool to undermine science and consolidate power. Barbour stressed the importance of being vocal across all channels, including YouTube and Instagram, and recommended watching a presentation by science communicator Dr Kirsten Banks on how to target blatant mistruths without amplifying them.
Dr Sally Fitzpatrick suggested it might be time to look back to successful campaigns before social media became our go-to. She pointed to the Anti-Racism Taskforce (ANTAR) following the 1992 Mabo ruling. ANTAR’s network distilled complicated native title information onto one page. Through snail mail, bulletin boards, local events, and shoe leather, this information was distributed through every network, creating a mass movement that pushed back against lies peddled by vested interests.
Fitzpatrick said this approach—good information, widely distributed, easy to share, and relevant locally—could be replicated today by health peaks and industry reps. Jennifer Doggett noted that it may be hard to combat misinformation if we don’t speak to the reasons why people want simplistic responses. She sees this occurring in rural and regional areas, where people can be weaponised to act against their own interests, such as raging against migration when they rely on it in agriculture.
PhD candidate Penelope Smith meets with rural and regional young people who are desperate to fight back against populist attitudes among their family and friends. However, they are scared to do so because they don’t have the tools to support them. Farouque called for leadership and action, saying rising populism is “not the stuff of one election.” She said all parts of civil society need to stand up at this moment.