Pauline Hanson is experiencing her most powerful political resurgence to date, with fresh data indicating 2026 could become a landmark year for the controversial leader and her One Nation party.
Dramatic Turnaround in Likeability Ratings
The latest Resolve Political Monitor has tracked a remarkable recovery in public perception for several federal politicians over the past year. Pauline Hanson's personal likeability rating has staged a dramatic 16-point turnaround, moving from a score of -13 at the end of 2024 into positive territory, finishing 2025 with a rating of 3.
Her new parliamentary recruit, Barnaby Joyce, has seen an equally striking revival. After his shock defection from the Nationals to join One Nation earlier this month, Joyce's popularity jumped from -22 at the end of 2024 to -4. Despite this significant lift, he remains one of only two MPs still in negative figures.
The other is Senator Lidia Thorpe, though she recorded the most substantial improvement of all, surging from a dismal -41 to -12.
Winners, Losers, and a Coalition in Crisis
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also engineered a major comeback, leaping from -17 last year to a positive score of 9. It is crucial to note that this analysis was completed before both the Bondi Beach terror attack and Joyce's defection.
Tasmanian senator Jacqui Lambie, who topped the 2024 rankings, retains the title of Australia's most-liked politician with a score of 15. She now shares the top spot with ACT independent senator David Pocock, whose rating jumped 10 points this year.
On the other side of the ledger, Jacinta Nampijinpa Price was the only politician to go backwards. After quitting the National Party for the Liberals post-election, her rating fell five points, though she remains in positive territory.
While Hanson's fortunes soar, the Coalition faces its most severe crisis in four decades. According to Newspoll's quarterly analysis for The Australian, conducted from 29 September to 20 November, the Coalition's primary vote slumped to just 24 per cent in October. This is the lowest figure recorded since Newspoll began in 1985.
Demographic Shifts and a Queensland Battleground
The erosion of core support is most acute among traditional conservative voters. Senior Coalition support is falling fastest among older Australians and people without university qualifications, with many turning to Hanson's resurgent party.
Between the last two quarters of 2025, Coalition support among voters without tertiary education dropped six points to 26 per cent. Among Australians aged over 65, both Labor and the Coalition lost ground to One Nation.
Queensland is at the epicentre of the Coalition's decline. Once a Liberal and Nationals stronghold, the state has become a fierce battleground, with One Nation making steady monthly gains. Joyce's decision to leave the Nationals after two decades is expected to further fuel this growth among disillusioned rural voters.
Political analysts warn the Coalition's 24 per cent primary vote is not a momentary dip but a genuine existential threat. With Labor steady and independents strongly backed, the Coalition is being squeezed from both sides of the political spectrum, facing a challenge unseen since the 1980s.
