Pauline Hanson named Australia’s fourth most powerful person, PM tops the list
Pauline Hanson has been named Australia’s fourth most powerful person in the Australian Financial Review’s annual power list.
The One Nation leader made a resounding return to the ranking after failing to notch a spot last year, placing behind Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Health Minister Mark Butler.
One Nation has nudged ahead of Labor in the primary vote in some polling, but still trails comfortable on a two-party preferred measure. Alex Ellinghausen
The AFR panel pointed to Hanson’s influence on the national political debate and One Nation’s polling surge in explaining her place in the pecking order.
It comes as new polling puts One Nation narrowly ahead of Labor on the primary vote.
The latest Roy Morgan poll has One Nation on 25.5 per cent of the primary vote, up half a percentage point and just ahead of Labor on 25 per cent.
The Coalition sits third on 21.5 per cent.
The poll of 1561 voters was conducted between September 14 and 20 and marks the first time in six weeks that One Nation has led Labor on the primary vote.
Despite its primary lead, One Nation remains behind Labor on Roy Morgan’s two-party preferred measure, with Labor leading 54 to 46 per cent.
Labor also leads the Coalition 53 to 47 per cent on the same measure.
The AFR described Hanson as a “political survivor” whose influence has ballooned alongside One Nation’s polling performance, with the 72-year-old returning to a list she first appeared on in 2001.
In 2026 so far, Pauline Hanson’s One Nation has won five state lower house seats, three state upper house seats, and one federal lower house seat. Jason South
Her party has put immigration at the centre of its agenda, announcing a policy targeting “net negative” migration over three years and a reduction of 750,000 migrants.
The federal government, meanwhile, has touted plans to bring net migration to 225,000.
As for the AFR list, Hanson’s ranking leapfrogged those of several senior political and economic figures.
The remainder of the top 10 was rounded out by Foreign Minister Penny Wong at number five, Reserve Bank governor Michele Bullock at number six, and Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles at number seven.
Former ACTU secretary Sally McManus came in at number eight, Commonwealth Bank chief executive Matt Comyn at number nine, and independent senator David Pocock at number 10.
Albanese came out on top for a second consecutive year.
No Coalition politician appeared in the top 10 for the second year running.
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