Pauline Hanson plots political domination and warns major parties ‘I’m not this little woman from the fish and chip shop’ anymore – as she addresses the key question everyone in politics has about her poll surge
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has declared she is ready to lead the country and is no longer a ‘little woman from the fish and chip shop’ – as a new poll puts her party ahead of the Coalition for the first time.
A Newspoll on Monday showed the Coalition’s primary vote has slumped to a historic low of 21 per cent, the fourth record low under Sussan Ley’s leadership and nearly ten points down on its disastrous 2022 election result.
In contrast, One Nation has surged seven points in just two months to reach a record high of 22 per cent.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Hanson acknowledged the rising support and thanked voters for ‘the first poll in Australia’s history where another party is polling higher than one of the major parties.’
Pressed on how she could reassure voters sceptical about One Nation’s candidate track record, Hanson said the party had been unfairly targeted, but insisted her experience made her ready to lead.
One Nation has lost more than two-thirds of all MPs elected since 1998 before they finished their terms, due to personality conflict, legal issues or infighting.
‘I’ve had everything thrown at me bar the kitchen sink,’ Hanson said. ‘I’m not the little woman from the fish and chip shop anymore – I’ve got 30 years of experience under my belt.’
Pauline Hanson (pictured) agreed that her party was now a ‘viable alternative government’
‘If you underestimate me, that’s your mistake.’
She said voters are abandoning both major parties, frustrated by cost-of-living pressures and what she calls a series of ‘wake-up calls’ from recent national and global upheavals.
‘People have had enough,’ Hanson said.
‘They’re struggling with cost-of-living, but I think what happened at Bondi, and prior to that with the Charlie Kirk assassination attempt, has been a big wake-up call for a lot of Australians.’
Mass migration also remains a top concern for many voters, Hanson said.
‘For years now the public has been calling on this government to pull back on it – the lack of housing, jobs, security, affordability. It’s a combination of a lot of things,’ she said.
Asked if One Nation is now a genuine alternative government, Hanson was unequivocal.
‘You bet it is. I’m not here to prop up the Coalition or the Labor Party or anyone else,’ she said.
Hanson defended her party’s candidate track record, saying she was not to be underestimated
Hanson credited former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce, who defected to One Nation last year, with giving her party new momentum.
‘Of course it has [improved our polling],’ she said.
‘It wasn’t smart of the Nationals not to see his value. Leadership is about getting the right team around you.’
Joyce said his move was made at his ‘own volition’, noting that MPs move between parties all the time, referencing WA Greens Senator Dorinda Cox’s switch to Labor after the 2025 election.
‘It’s a free country. There are Australians out there who are going to change their vote,’ he said.
‘There are members of Parliament who, if they choose to, will go to other parties.’
Pressed on recruitment of Coalition MPs or plans for lower-house seats, Hanson denied making any moves.
‘No, I’m not picking up the phone. Let me make that very clear,’ she said.
Pauline Hanson’s One Nation Party polled ahead of the Coalition in the most recent Newspoll
She said possibilities in Queensland had come up in discussion, but cautioned ‘these are only polls’.
‘We’re being put at 22 per cent of the national vote at the moment, and that means I’ve got a huge job ahead of me with my colleagues,’ Hanson said.
‘We have to maintain that support and confidence from the Australian people.’
