Support for Pauline Hanson’s One Nation Party at record-high, Coalition at record-low: Newspoll
As core support for the Coalition craters, support for Pauline Hanson has hit a record-high, days after the Senator announced her party is getting a rebrand.
Support for Pauline Hanson has hit a record-high, the latest Newspoll has revealed, days after the Senator announced her One Nation Party is getting a rebrand.
At the same time, core support for the Coalition has cratered to 24 per cent – its lowest primary vote on record since Newspoll first counted primary votes in November 1985 – maintaining Labor’s two-party-preferred advantage to 57-43.
Just 1 in 4 Australians are satisfied with Opposition Leader Sussan Ley’s performance, the poll of 1265 voters, conducted between Monday and Thursday last week, found. Over half – 58 per cent – said they were dissatisfied, and 17 per cent were uncommitted.
The post-election collapse comes after weeks of damaging internal divisions within the opposition, triggered by the sacking of Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price from the shadow ministry following controversial comments about Indian migrants.
The fallout has been compounded by bitter internal division debates over migration, climate change and net zero, leaving the Coalition battling a crisis of confidence among its base.
Coalition voters have shifted their support to minor parties, including One Nation, which attracted its highest-ever primary vote of 15 per cent, up from 11 per cent in last month’s Newspoll. The conservative party’s previous record was 13 per cent, recorded in June 1998.
The results echo that of The Guardian’s Essential poll last month, which put One Nation’s primary vote at 13 per cent – more than double the 6.4 per cent it recorded at the May election – and ahead of the Greens on 11 per cent.
Off the back of Anthony Albanese’s successful sit-down with US President Donald Trump and last week’s ASEAN and APEC meetings, Labor holds 36 per cent of the primary vote.
More than half of Newspoll respondents (54 per cent) believe the Prime Minister is still the best man for the job.
‘Defining moment’: Hanson changes party name
The Newspoll results come after Ms Hanson announced last Tuesday she was dropping her name from her party’s official title, changing its name from ‘Pauline Hanson’s One Nation’ to simply ‘One Nation’.
In a statement, the Queensland Senator, who founded the party in 1997, said the rebrand “symbolises a renewed focus on the principles that first inspired millions of Australians to join the movement: putting the nation and its people first”.
“The decision marks a defining moment for the movement, reaffirming its identity as a voice for ordinary Australians who value fairness, sovereignty, and unity,” the statement read.
“With this announcement, Senator Pauline Hanson is once again reminding the country that One Nation stands stronger than ever: one voice, one people, one nation”.
The party did not confirm when the name change would go into effect.
The move comes amid rumours Mr Joyce is set to defect to One Nation, distancing himself from the National Party over a hard line position on net zero policy and a deteriorating relationship with party leadership.
“My position is against net zero. I don’t want to be part of a discussion of an amelioration of net zero. My position is no,” he told Sky News last Monday.
Nationals leader David Littleproud has confirmed he would not welcome Mr Joyce’s contributions to parliament if the former leader chose to jump ship.
“He was elected as a National, we want him to remain a National, and I believe everybody can make that contribution in our party room in a constructive way,” he said.
Ms Hanson has dismissed talk Mr Joyce will take over the leadership of her party, telling Sky News in October “it’s not going to happen” and “he’s not going to be leading the party”.
“That’s totally out of the question,” she told Sky News.
“The fact is, he’s not even a member of the party. He has to make that choice himself, to finally make the decision if he is going to come across to One Nation.”
– with Brielle Burns
