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Why Is Everyone Talking About Pauline Hanson?

She's had a sudden swing in popularity on Facebook.
Pauline Hanson is a hot topic of conversation on Facebook.
Reuters Photographer / Reuters
Pauline Hanson is a hot topic of conversation on Facebook.

She's the politician with a history of prison time, dancing with stars and fish n' chipping. So maybe it's no wonder Pauline Hanson is the third most talked pollie on Facebook.

In the 24-hours before polls opened, Facebook data showed the right-wing senate hopeful was closely behind Liberal leader Malcolm Turnbull and Labor leader Bill Shorten.

Facebook

So, what's everyone talking about?

Well on her own Facebook page, titled 'Pauline Hanson's Please Explain' as a nod to her much-lampooned "please explain" soundbite from the 90s, she's uploaded an early morning video from Brisbane's Mt Coot-Tha about "chaos".

"We have got so much chaos in this country," Hanson said.

"With refugees, 457 Visa holders, children on drugs, we actually have a farming sector that's going under, foreign ownership, you name it. It's one thing after another."

You can watch the full rant here, where she goes on to compare the role of Prime Minister to the role of a suburban cleaner.

Meanwhile at polling booths, she said she'd been inundated with support from people of "ethnic backgrounds".

"I'm getting a lot of support from those from ethnic backgrounds, different cultural backgrounds," Hanson said.

"I had a Fijian guy come up and he gave me the biggest hug and he said `you know, we need more people like you in parliament protecting our country'.

"Even people of Chinese, of Asian background, and I know that you all think that they're against me, but they're not, because they really have embraced this country."

Turn to Twitter though, and there are plenty of detractors.

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