Taylor left in the cold as Hanson becomes de facto opposition leader

August 17, 2026 — 5:00am

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After a difficult couple of months for Anthony Albanese and Pauline Hanson, the pair remain Australians’ first and second choice respectively as preferred prime minister.

And the person paying the price is Angus Taylor.

Albanese, Hanson and Nationals leader Matt Canavan were all out on Sunday doing interviews and trying to shape the political agenda for the parliamentary week ahead, but Taylor was notably absent.

The opposition leader spent much of parliament’s winter break travelling the country and meeting voters, but at this stage it hasn’t helped.

Despite the prime minister facing weeks of heavy criticism over his decision to break key promises not to change negative gearing or the capital gains tax arrangements, and calls to apologise for seemingly joking about Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s personal appearance, Labor’s primary vote has not shifted.

Similarly, despite the week-long furore over his appearance on the Bush Deep podcast, Albanese’s standing as preferred prime minister only fell by one percentage point,........

© Brisbane Times