Albanese pledges to further reduce migration as third poll puts One Nation in lead
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese issued a stern warning to the media about personal attacks on politicians following protests over Jacinta Allan’s “witch” billboards, saying he “doesn’t want to hold a press conference after the tragedy” as threat levels rise, and Pauline Hanson mocked the Victorian prime minister, telling him to “screw this up honey”.
Acknowledging that economic malaise has fueled both anger and populism across the country, Albanese also made a pitch for a “patriotic” Australia, vowing to continue reducing immigration in an apparent response to Hanson’s party cementing its position as the most popular party in Australia.
“I don’t want to hold a press conference in this courtyard after the tragedy,” Albanese told reporters on Monday.
“There are currently many people at our level, including those detained for threats at my level. One was in court again on Friday, and another was in court on Friday.”
“Some of the ways the mainstream media characterizes people in public life as personal needs to end… Turn the temperature down, or take responsibility for the consequences.”
Albanese did not specify which media outlets or specific news examples he was referring to. The prime minister, whose personal notes have fallen since last month’s budget, was speaking generally and not just about Allan’s billboards.
A News poll published on Monday was the third major poll in a row, following polls by YouGov and Redbridge last week that showed One Nation trailing just above Labor in first preference votes. Hanson’s party’s support continued to rise in the polls after Labor failed to deliver on election promises that its budget would be negative geared and leave capital gains tax cuts untouched.
Hanson responded to Allan’s billboards on Monday, telling Sky News the Victorian premier “must screw this up”, honey, and hinted at expectations that Allan’s own colleagues could unseat him because of his deep popularity.
“If you’ve seen what’s happened to me over the years, I remember years ago [former Nationals leader] Tim Fischer called me a witch and [said] I must be burned at the stake.”
“So I was tagged long before you… Also, Jacinta, let me tell you something, I heard it through the grapevine, you won’t be there in a few weeks.”
Albanese has repeatedly talked about Australia, using the King’s Birthday press conference in Canberra to mark the death of former Australian of the Year Richard Scolyer, and spoke at length about the country’s populist era.
Directly addressing Conservative concerns about Australia’s immigration rate, Albanese said his government was taking action to bring the figures below those seen when borders reopened after the pandemic.
“I want an Australia that is united, that has social cohesion at its core, that respects people for who they are but is patriotic about the fact that we are all Australians,” he said. “We will reduce overseas migration to 225,000 over the next few years and we think that’s the right number.”
Economic dislocation triggered voters’ anger, he said, referring to Bill Clinton’s line that economic conditions were the main factor behind political developments.
“It’s the economy, stupid,” Albanese said, claiming the deteriorating housing market justified negative gearing and a U-turn on capital gains taxes.
“It’s always economics that determines the parameters of the debate… The argument that says that now that we’ve fulfilled our commitments in the first year of our second term, we should just sit back and sit idle for the next two years. It’s an argument that I’m not prepared to support.”
“What we’ve taken on the budget are not politically easy decisions, because we’ve put in place mechanisms that make a difference, but difficult decisions where we want to make sure that we’re making the right decisions, and that if governments don’t respond, there’s going to be a continued increase in populism, whether on the right or the left.”
Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek said on Sunrise: “We’re seeing these polls and we’re getting the message that we need big changes in this country, and that’s exactly what Labor is delivering.”
One Nation’s Barnaby Joyce said the government’s response to the last election was “sizzling”.
“One Nation is a reflection of the feelings of the people… [They] Appearing on the same program as Plibersek, he said, “They are above the Labor Party and the Coalition.”
Former National Party leader David Littleproud, who has fueled two splits in the Coalition since last year’s election at a time when support for One Nation was starting to bleed, said polls showed Australians were doing it hard and felt helpless.
Paul Sakkal is the Chief Political Correspondent. He has previously covered Victorian politics and won the Walkley award as well as the 2025 Press Gallery Journalist of the Year award. Contact him securely on Signal @paulsakkal.14.Connect with: X or email.
