One Nation is tipped to be a major player in the South Australian election
One Nation candidate for Colton in the SA election, Rocco DeAngelis, says people are disappointed in the two major political parties. (ABC News: Briana Fiore)
In short:
One Nation has been gaining traction ahead of the South Australian election with policy promises on health, gun laws and coal and nuclear power.
One political expert says the trend to support populist parties was happening overseas, but the Greens say it is "scapegoating minority groups".
What's next:
South Australians will have their say on March 21 and will be the first election "test case" for One Nation.
Long before Rocco DeAngelis decided to run for One Nation in the South Australian election, he had a ban on pineapple in his Adelaide pizzerias.
While his decision to run for the party may have come as a surprise as the son of Italian migrants, his view of pineapple on pizza did not.
But views change, and he eventually made the call to allow the fruit on pizzas at his two restaurants in Adelaide's western suburbs.
"Sometimes it's okay to give people what they need and what they want," he told ABC News.
Rocco DeAngelis has two pizza restaurants in Adelaide's west. (ABC News: Briana Fiore)
He shares a similar sentiment in his political tilt for One Nation, where he is running as the party's candidate in the seat of Colton.
He said he was prompted to run in the state election following a number of grievances with the major parties, including the Voice referendum.
"It's not just people are disappointed in the Liberal Party," Mr DeAngelis said.
"People are disappointed in what the Labor party has done."
Rocco DeAngelis , who is pictured with his wife AnnaPaola, says the Voice referendum prompted him to run in the state election. (ABC News: Briana Fiore)
With the South Australian state election just days away, a poll released this week from Fox and Hedgehog predicted One Nation would win 21 per cent of the primary vote to the Liberal Party's 18 per cent.
Flinders University Public Policy lecturer Josh Sunman said there was dissatisfaction with the major parties across the country and South Australia was the first election "test case" where voters would get to have their say amid One Nation's latest rise in popularity.
Mr Sunman said the polls showed support for Labor remained roughly the same and that the Liberals were likely to lose votes to One Nation.
"One Nation are in second place, whether that actually bares out on the day who knows, but either way I think we're going to see One Nation very close to the same primary vote as the Liberal Party," he said.
"One Nation's greatest strength is its perceived authenticity."
Josh Sunman says there is dissatisfaction with the major political parties across the country. (ABC News: Lincoln Rothall)
Mr Sunman also said the trend mirrored what was happening around the world with voters getting behind populist political leaders, with the rise of Donald Trump in the United States and Giorgia Meloni in Italy.
Voters like Angus Organ are among those throwing their support behind One Nation.
The university student has been volunteering for the party and told ABC News he developed an interest in politics after watching the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Both my parents lost their jobs during COVID and even my brother did as well," Mr Organ said.
One Nation volunteer Angus Organ developed an interest in politics because of the fallout from COVID-19. (ABC News: Briana Fiore)
He said he believed his family used to be Liberal voters up until the pandemic.
"My family's opinion and my opinion from that time is that they handled the Australian public very harshly and we haven't received many apologies from those politicians," he said.
Housing and cost of living playing a part
Ahead of the election, both Labor and the Liberals have been throwing money at pledges to address the rising cost of living and housing crisis.
According to the One Nation South Australia website, it also had a suite of policies it said would help the housing crisis, including increasing housing supply and capping immigration at 130,000 for all visa categories including foreign students.
The latter policy is one that could only be addressed at a federal level, but it has been front and centre of its state campaign.
Mr DeAngelis said it did not mean One Nation was against immigration but he was worried that it would be "impossible" for his children to buy a house and floated an idea of banning auctions.
"I know it's crazy, but I love saying things not to shock people, but because I truly believe that there were days when we didn't have auctions and it was easier to buy homes," he said, acknowledging the idea was not a policy, but more of a thought bubble.
"Imagine going to buy a car and having to auction for it."
Among the policies listed on its website if elected were "embracing" coal and nuclear power, repealing the state's Voice to Parliament, addressing ramping and gun reforms which include removing "the six month waiting period between the issuing of Class H [handgun] licences and being able to obtain a Category H firearm".
Rocco DeAngelis says voters are turning towards One Nation out of dissatisfaction with mainstream political parties. (ABC News: Briana Fiore.)
The party's campaign has not been without controversy.
One Nation's lead upper house candidate Cory Bernardi said he "100 per cent" stood by comments he made almost 14 years ago linking gay marriage to the social acceptance of bestiality.
Despite the comments, which Mr Bernardi later said he should have moved on from instead of answering, the party is confident in its chances.
On Sunday, federal MP Barnaby Joyce, who last year defected from the Nationals to One Nation, said he believed the party would "poll number one in many seats".
Even the Greens are taking note.
Robert Simms from the SA Greens said it was clear a lot of voters were "angry" but cautioned against putting the blame on migration.
"We're in the middle of a significant cost-of-living crisis and I think a lot of South Australians are realising that the things that they expect from their government, aren't being provided … things like housing," Mr Simms said.
"What One Nation is doing is offering very simplistic solutions to those problems scapegoating migrants and scapegoating minority groups."
Opinion polls have shown a surge in support for One Nation. (ABC News: Briana Fiore)
Mr Simms said the Greens were pushing for structural change to make sure everybody gets a "fair go".
"It's not the fault of migrants that South Australians can't get into the housing market, it's the fault of the two major political parties in this state," he said.