Spectre Strategy poll shows respondents more concerned about immigration than climate

Australians have revealed they are now more worried about immigration than climate change, with new polling also showing burgeoning support for One Nation.

The Leader of the Opposition, Sussan Ley, will soon reveal the party’s immigration policy. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen

Australians are now more worried about immigration than climate change, with new polling also showing surging support for One Nation from voters who “increasingly don’t feel heard” by major parties over population issues.

Data from respected independent pollster Spectre Strategy showed immigration increasing as the fourth highest concern for voters, while concern over climate change and the environment fell to sixth place.

Cost-of-living and housing affordability remained as the top two issues.

Spectre Strategy director Morgan James said the results were predictable as both the Liberals and Labor were perceived as failing to engage the issue head on, despite concerns that recent high migrant intakes have put huge pressure on housing markets, infrastructure, and social cohesion.

His comments come ahead of the Coalition’s highly anticipated reveal of its immigration policy, but Opposition Leader Sussan Ley is expected to avoid committing to a hard net overseas migration target this early on in the election cycle.

“There has been a sort of quite authoritarian policing of speech (around immigration) … now we find ourselves at a place where people are afraid to name the issues and increasingly voters don’t feel heard,” Mr James said.

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson - the party has gained popularity since the May Federal Election. Photo: Gaye Gerard

As a result, “they’re going to look elsewhere”, he added, with polling, which sampled 1007 voters between November 4 to 17, showing support for One Nation increasing by 11 per cent to 17.5 per cent since the May election.

Mr James said despite the noise around the net zero debate, it was a “luxury concern” for most voters which would ultimately be trumped by “bread and butter” concerns in seats where voters had less “economic security”.

The new polling figures comes as unsuccessful asylum seekers who have been denied a Final Protection Visa ballooned to a historic high of 101,081 in September, with experts concerned the system is being exploited by applicants attempting to remain in Australia after their existing visas expire.

The most recent figures from September 2025 showed rates increasing by 14,152, or about 16.2 per cent.

The number also reflects people who may be appealing their unsuccessful outcome through the courts, via a ministerial direction or through the Administrative Review Tribunal.

Senator Paul Scarr said the issue was ‘deeply concerning’. Picture: Christian Gilles

Paul Scarr, the Coalition’s immigration spokesman who has been tasked with formulating the opposition’s yet-to-be revealed immigration policy, said the issue was “deeply concerning” and “well and truly on the opposition’s radar”.

“While every application has to be considered on its merits and people have rights to appeal, there are thousands of people making claims who will never be granted a protection visa,” Mr Scarr told The Daily Telegraph.

“There are also scam merchants giving dodgy advice taking advantage of this situation. That is the reality of the situation. It is unfair to the genuine applicants who are doing the right thing.”

Labor says the backlog is a symptom of the delays it inherited from the previous Coalition government.

It also claimed reforms introduced in October 2023 have decreased the processing claim times, which also reduces the incentive for people who choose to abuse the protection visa system to increase their time in Australia.

Former Department of Immigration deputy secretary Abul Rizvi, said the “big backlog attracts unscrupulous applications”, which includes international students and people on working holiday and visitor visas.

He said the first steps to tackling the problem was to “stabilise the number” while also increasing deterrence measures.

“The problem is they’re just not acting quickly enough to discourage the application sufficiently, and they’re not acting quickly enough on the most recent refused,” he said.

“They’re the ones you target in terms of removal.”

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Originally published as Spectre Strategy poll shows respondents more concerned about immigration than climate