Angry Aussies ‘experiment’ with alternatives as voters flee major parties

EXCLUSIVE: Fresh polling has put Angus Taylor’s Coalition under further pressure to claw back votes from conservative rivals One Nation, with the federal opposition primary vote at 16 per cent, well behind Pauline Hanson’s populist party and the government.

The exclusive polling from Amplify, a non-partisan community group, provided to nine.com.au, revealed support for Labor at 29 per cent – in line with similar polls – and One Nation second at 23 per cent. 

The data emerged from Amplify’s Home Truths quarterly national survey of more than 4000 Australians between June 11 and July 3, so any impact of a controversial overseas trip by Hanson was not felt.  

It was the first time party preferences had been asked of participants, so could not be compared to previous results. 

Amplify acting chief executive Martin Codina said voter frustrations meant they were more willing to choose alternatives to the traditional major parties. 

“Despite its majority, these results suggest the federal government is operating in an environment of deep voter scepticism and limited political capital,” Codina said. 

“The more disillusioned voters become, the more willing they are to experiment with their vote, and that’s been the story of the last six months. No political party is immune.” 

Hanson has repeatedly and publicly pressured Taylor to work with her, viewed by some parliamentary insiders as her capitalising on current popularity to secure a deal with the Coalition before her support starts to fade. 

It has also been interpreted as an insincere attempt to appear constructive to conservative voters without genuine intent to work collaboratively. 

9News revealed on Sunday a rising number of Australians were losing faith that the federal government would fix the housing crisis, despite a budget that was aimed at levelling the property playing field.

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The party polling was independent of housing- or budget-specific questions in Amplify’s survey, however, consistent polling shows cost of living is the most salient issue for voters and would influence responses. 

The results somewhat mirror recent polling; the latest Resolve Political Monitor, published by The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, showed support for One Nation had fallen. 

Newspoll, released on Monday, showed One Nation had clawed back ground to return to level pegging with Labor on 30 per cent, with the Coalition a distant third on 19 per cent. 

Shadow cybersecurity minister Aaron Violi told Today the opposition was undeterred by recent polling. 

“It’s a little bit like worrying about being the premiership favourite in April,” Violi said on Monday. 

Despite One Nation’s rise, scepticism persists over whether the populist party has a credible path to form government.

It has also muddied pollsters’ predictions over how preferences will flow at the next election, which must be held by early 2028.