Labor responds to bombshell poll that shows Pauline Hanson is now Australia's preferred Prime Minister

Published: 22:52, 14 June 2026 | Updated: 22:55, 14 June 2026 Labor has pushed back against claims voters cannot trust them after a bombshell poll revealed Pauline Hanson is now Australia's preferred prime minister. The latest Resolve Political Monitor showed 33 per cent of respondents want the One Nation leader to have the nation's top job. Twenty-nine per cent want Anthony Albanese as prime minister, 16 per cent want Liberal leader Angus Taylor, while 22 per cent were undecided. Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek said the Albanese government must demonstrate 'things are changing' as Aussies face growing demands on their household budgets. 'I think people are really frustrated and we've got to demonstrate that things are changing. And that takes a while,' Plibersek told 7's Sunrise on Monday. 'We've just got to keep working to make sure that those tax cuts that we want to deliver right now get to people.' Plibersek also claimed One Nation, if in government, would make life harder for people. 'There's nothing in the One Nation policy bank that would actually make anything easier for ordinary Australians,' she said. Pauline Hanson is now the preferred prime minister in a bombshell new poll Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek said the Albanese Government must demonstrate 'things are changing' amid frustrations from people One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce told Plibersek the electorate doesn't trust Labor 'They back lower wages. Pauline Hanson said people are paid too much and they should be easier to sack. Right now they're blocking tax cuts and their only other policies are to make it harder to get an abortion, but easier to get a gun.' However, One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce blasted Ms Plibersek's claims, arguing the Albanese government had itself misled voters over changes to negative gearing and capital gains tax.  'You are bringing massive tax increases. You've gone to the entrepreneurial class of young people coming forward in Australia, got a bat and smacked them straight across the chops because they're trying to get ahead,' Joyce said. 'Before the last election you lied...and no one believes you anymore, so you can say whatever you like, and it's just like, well, whatever.' The pair's fiery exchange came just hours after the poll was published by the Sydney Morning Herald.  One Nation leads in the primary vote at 29 per cent, while Labor comes in second at 28 per cent, with the Coalition recording a record low 20 per cent. The figure for Labor marks the lowest primary vote since February 2025. Resolve pollster Jim Reed said the result was proof that support for Hanson is expanding across the country. Twenty-nine per cent of respondents want Anthony Albanese as prime minister, 16 per cent wanted Liberal leader Angus Taylor, while 22 per cent were undecided 'We've already put to bed the idea that One Nation represents just a fragmentation of the right and that it attracts only older men; this tells us that they also appeal to non-white and immigrants too,' he said. 'It's the drawbridge effect, where Australians born overseas are often the more vehemently opposed to increased immigration.' Mr Reed added: 'Albanese still commands the lower house with a huge majority, but it's Hanson who is holding court. 'It seems we like our prime ministers to be men with white hair or women with red.' He said Labor had 'stuck its neck out twice, once on the Voice [to parliament] and once on these budget reforms, and in both cases the electorate has told them to pull it back in'. Thirty-five per cent of respondents believed that Albanese's performance had been good or very good. Meanwhile, 55 per cent believed it was bad or very bad and ten per cent were undecided. Hanson has reportedly left the door open for her daughter, Lee Hanson, to lead the right-wing party when she retires. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.