More Australians feel unsafe in the world than ever before, according to new research from the Lowy Institute.

And it is this environment of fear – fear of a bad economy, of terrorism, of immigration – that makes for an environment ripe for a political party like One Nation to prosper.

Today, international and political editor Peter Hartcher on how Australia is experiencing a moment he has never witnessed before, and where the solutions lie.

Background reading

• This is the Australia that Pauline Hanson has been waiting for – a frightened country