Australia Prides itself on being one of the World’s Great Democracies. But what Happens when Political Outsiders Challenge the Established Order?
By Jamie Mcintyre
Who controls Australia so much that it’s scared of any new political threat that it uses its media controlled apparatus to destroy challengers often before they become too big to stop?
Australia Prides itself on being one of the World’s Great Democracies. But what Happens when Political Outsiders Challenge the Established Order?
THE TALL POPPY STATE examines the cases of Pauline Hanson, Clive Palmer and Jamie McIntyre — three very different figures who challenged Australia’s political establishment and later faced major legal, regulatory or media scrutiny.
From Hanson’s imprisonment and overturned conviction, to ASIC proceedings involving Palmer, and McIntyre’s long-running dispute with ASIC and sections of the Australian media, the documentary asks a broader question:
Where should the line be drawn between legitimate accountability and the use of institutional power against political challengers?
McIntyre alleges ASIC’s intervention in his former land-banking projects contributed to investor losses and argues that subsequent media coverage reinforced a misleading narrative about his role. ASIC denies deliberately causing investor losses, and no court has found that ASIC and the media coordinated a campaign against McIntyre.
The documentary examines the documented record, disputed allegations and unanswered questions surrounding these cases.
Who regulates the regulator — and who protects democracy from those claiming to protect it?
