The new threat haunting Labor’s record electoral dominance

July 24, 2026 — 4:13am

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Labor’s faithful gathered in Adelaide to celebrate its 50th National Conference, a record haul of federal seats and an election victory that gave Anthony Albanese political capital few prime ministers have enjoyed.

But the mood of confidence now carries an uncomfortable undercurrent.

For all the talk of Labor’s return to dominance, delegates know the next political battle may not be against the type of conservative coalition the party has spent more than a century defeating.

It may be against a movement that has rarely featured in Labor’s traditional playbook: Pauline Hanson’s One Nation.

The speeches were filled with references to progress, nation-building and Labor’s claim to represent the optimistic, egalitarian instincts of the Australian character. Yet beneath the applause was a recognition that the political landscape has shifted.

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Once dismissed as a fringe protest party, One Nation is now matching Labor’s primary vote in federal and state polling and has become a force capable of reshaping the contest for working-class and regional voters – some of the constituencies the ALP has historically relied upon.

Former treasurer Wayne Swan, who lost his Queensland seat of Lilley in 1996 – the same year Hanson was elected to Oxley – is........

© The Age