Major blow for Albo in shock new poll as support for a minor party triples
Voters have abandoned Labor and the Coalition in droves in the seven months since the federal election.
- One Nation is competing with major parties
- New poll reveals a major rise in its popularity
- READ MORE: Anthony Albanese accused of gaslighting Australians
By ZAK WHEELER, NEWS REPORTER, AUSTRALIA
Published: 14:43 GMT, 10 January 2026 | Updated: 16:18 GMT, 10 January 2026
Anthony Albanese has suffered a fresh political headache after a new poll revealed that support has plummeted for the Prime Minister in the wake of the Bondi terrorist attack.
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley also continues to cop backlash as voters abandon both major parties.
Primary support for Pauline Hanson's One Nation has tripled to 21 per cent nationally since the May 2025 election, according to the poll conducted by research firm Fox & Hedgehog.
The surge is the equivalent of two million additional votes for One Nation, buoyed by Hanson's persistent calls to cap Australia's net overseas migration at 130,000 per year.
Labor remains ahead, despite its primary vote dropping six points to 29 per cent in the last seven months since the election.
Support for the Coalition has also slumped - down seven points to 25 per cent, while the Greens have seen a two point rise at 14 per cent.
On personal ratings, almost half of the voters surveyed disapproved of Albanese's leadership while only one-third of voters approved of his performance.
Ley's hopes of remaining at the helm of the Coalition remain on shaky ground with 19 per cent approval and 32 per cent disapproval.
Primary support for Pauline Hanson and One Nation has tripled in the last seven months
Support for Anthony Albanese has slumped in the wake of the Bondi terrorist attack
Another third of voters were unsure of Ley's leadership.
Hanson's net approval was reported at minus three, well ahead of Ley (-13) and Albanese (-15).
Fox & Hedgehog founder Michael Horner believes One Nation could become a genuine threat across the country.
'In dozens of seats, it could replace either Labor or the Coalition as the main challenger,' the former Coalition strategist told News Corp.
One Nation can win seats on a primary vote in the mid-20s when running against Labor, but would likely need a primary in the 30s to beat the Coalition.'
More than 1600 voters were surveyed last week, before Albanese on Thursday finally announced a federal royal commission into the Bondi terror attack which claimed 15 lives on December 14.
Albanese was booed when he attended a memorial in Bondi a week after the attack, as the Jewish community accused the government of ignoring warnings about rising anti-Semitism.
Families of the victims, Jewish community leaders, business figures, industry groups, sporting names and security experts were among those publicly pressing the government day after day.
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley's hopes of remaining in charge of the Coalition have taken a hit
He finally caved in following a private four-hour meeting with senior figures from the Executive Council of Australian Jewry on Wednesday, the day before announcing the inquiry.
The royal commission's proposed terms of reference were reportedly central to the discussion, along with possible candidates to lead the inquiry.
Justice Michael Lee was said to be viewed as a 'good friend of the Jewish community' and was believed to have support among ECAJ figures.
Instead, Albanese chose former High Court Justice Virginia Bell to lead the inquiry.
Inside Labor, MPs were reported to be stunned by the political damage, particularly after the party's landslide victory and 94-seat majority in May.
One Nation's support has experienced a surge since the Bondi Beach terrorist attack
The Prime Minister's earlier refusal of the families' requests for a federal probe reportedly angered the Jewish community and unsettled some of his own colleagues.
'How are we ending the year fighting with the families of terror victims?' one MP was quoted as saying late last month.
Those close to Albanese insisted he believed existing measures - hate-speech reforms, gun controls, the Richardson review, the NSW royal commission and action on Jillian Segal's report - would be enough.