PM’s tougher line on migration will define legacy in confronting Hanson

August 6, 2026 — 1:45pm

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Pauline Hanson’s rise has wreaked havoc on the right flank of Australian politics. Now, centre-left Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will be tested on how he handles an imminent overhaul of the migration system. The clampdown will define his response to the outbreak of right-wing populism, which could dent Albanese’s legacy if it flourishes under his watch.

The splintering on the right has partly masked the fact that Labor, according to an average of all polls, has lost 6.7 percentage points from its 34.5 per cent primary vote at last year’s May election. The Coalition has dropped 10, meaning One Nation’s rise may cement Angus Taylor’s fate as one of the majority of Liberals leaders who fail to become prime minister.

For months, Albanese’s lieutenants have talked privately about how vigorously to confront Hanson on migration, the issue on which polls say she is more trusted than both Albanese and Taylor.

One government Left faction MP scoffed when this masthead asked them a few weeks ago why Labor hadn’t adopted a firmer position. Why, they asked, would Labor ape Hanson and upset its voter base, which has far more migrants than right-wing parties can claim.

News this week about Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke’s plans for a migration crackdown suggests Albanese has sniffed the wind and made a call that the forces........

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