Hanson rides popularity surge as preferred PM
One of the Liberal Party’s rising talents has made a surprise decision to retire as a new poll shows Pauline Hanson is the frontrunner as preferred PM.
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has rocketed past Anthony Albanese as preferred prime minister in a new poll, with 33 per cent support compared to 29 per cent.
The Resolve Monitor survey for Nine Newspapers had Liberal leader Angus Taylor with only 16 per cent support as preferred PM.
One Nation has also surged ahead on primary votes, overtaking Labor while the Coalition has sunk even further compared to last month.
Hanson’s party was on 29 per cent — a significant five-percentage-point spike — with the ALP on 28 per cent (down one percentage point) and the Coalition a distant third on 20 per cent, a plunge of three percentage points.
The poll was conducted from June 8-13 — after the Albanese government’s controversial federal budget in May — and surveyed 1801 voters.
For the first time, voters were given a choice of three candidates as preferred prime minister – Albanese, Hanson or Taylor.
In further grim news for the Coalition, one of its frontbenchers has announced his retirement from federal politics, while denying that declining support for the Liberals was a factor in his decision.
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Opposition home affairs spokesman Jonathon Duniam said he would not seek re-election for his Tasmanian Senate seat. He will leave parliament before the end of 2026.
Duniam said he wanted to step back from politics after 10 years in federal parliament to spend more time with his family, including his three children.
“Ten years, on top of 15 years prior to that of being in and around politics, 25 years of my life dedicated to long hours and being away from home a lot has taken a toll on my family,” the 43-year-old said in Hobart on Sunday.
“This job has been a very serious one, and as a result, has taken up a lot of time and a lot of energy.
“It is odd to fight hard to get in. It’s even odder when you fight harder to stay and then to pull up stumps.
“When family come into it, you can’t think twice about it. Your priorities become very, very clear.”
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said the loss of Duniam was another blow for the Liberal Party.
“The Liberal Party lose one of their best and brightest when he leaves the parliament,” he told Sky News on Sunday.
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Duniam said poll numbers had not influenced his decision to retire, despite a surge in One Nation’s primary vote putting it ahead of Labor and the Coalition.
“This is something that we’ve been weighing up, and my team, my colleagues in Canberra, trusted friends know that I’ve been weighing this up for a while,” he said.
“A good friend of mine told me graveyards are full of indispensable people and, at the end of the day, someone else is going to take my place.”
Duniam entered federal politics at the 2016 election, when he became the only new Tasmanian member of the upper house.
He came to Canberra after previously being an adviser to former Tasmanian Liberal senator Eric Abetz, and later as a deputy chief of staff to Tasmanian premier Will Hodgman.
He was assistant minister for forestry and fisheries in Scott Morrison’s government and later held the opposition spokesman role for the portfolio following the Liberals’ 2022 election defeat.
Duniam became opposition home affairs spokesman after Angus Taylor took over as Opposition Leader in February.
He said his long lead time for his retirement would allow a successor to build up a profile before the next election, which must be held before May 2028.
“I discussed my decision with Angus some time ago and he has asked me to continue for a short period of time to complete work on our immigration policies,” he said.
“Now is the right time for my party to choose new Senate team members who will carry forward the fight for Tasmania and for the values in which the Liberal Party believes.”
Fellow Tasmanian Liberal Wendy Askew announced her retirement earlier in June. Political operative Brad Stansfield has said he will stand for pre-selection.
-with AAP
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