One Nation threat shouldn’t be underestimated, says Peter Malinauskas
South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas has warned One Nation will pose a direct threat to Anthony Albanese despite Labor’s victory in the state election on Saturday.
Malinauskas said the fact that almost one in four voters chose One Nation as their first choice should not be dismissed as an anomaly or simply a threat to the conservative side of politics.
“I think it has implications for my party as well as the Liberal Party,” the re-elected prime minister told Nine’s. Today Monday morning show.
“We will take this issue seriously. I don’t think One Nation, or any political party for that matter, should be written off.”
“Yes, I do,” Malinauskas said when asked if One Nation was a threat at the federal level.
While Malinauskas’ decisive victory on Saturday night was expected, the state elections were seen as the first big test of whether One Nation could turn strong votes into real votes.
The Labor Party won 32 of the 47 seats in the state’s lower house, while the Liberal Party suffered a massive loss of votes, retaining only four. One Nation picked up one seat and was ahead in three of the nine seats still in doubt on Monday.
Malinauskas warned that voters will punish politicians who show arrogance or “get carried away” after a decisive victory.
“Indifference is death; you are learned very quickly,” he said. “It’s better to remind ourselves that there is no such thing as a safe seat in the modern age. In fact, there isn’t. While we’ve had incredibly large swings against us in some areas, we’ve had swings against us in others.”
A Labor frontbencher, widely regarded as one of the country’s toughest politicians, said the party should focus on policies that could win back One Nation votes in suburban communities, without patronizing those who have turned away from the major parties.
“We will go out there and make it clear that we have a serious economic agenda for them, and we will point out the differences between the lack of policy proposals on behalf of One Nation,” Malinauskas told the ABC’s Radio National.
He said comments from One Nation leader Pauline Hanson, as votes were being taken on Saturday, that she would leave him with some “land mines” in the form of One Nation MPs, were indicative of his complaints policy.
“Some people go into politics to use the power of their office to present policy plans for the future of the state. Some people go into politics to lay land mines, and I guess that’s the point, isn’t it?” he said.
Malinauskas also criticized One Nation’s policy proposals, saying the party did not go into the election with achievable results for South Australians.
“There were no housing policies. I don’t know about education or health policies, it was more of a vote-against-immigration type of campaign. And while I don’t think it should be ignored, I do think it speaks to a difference in whether you’re serious about using the power of state government to make a difference for your community,” he said.
“I’m committed to doing everything I can to use the power of government to help the people of this state. And Pauline Hanson’s speech is about political landmines. I just think it’s a very different approach.”
The Federal Coalition renewed the attack on Hanson’s credibility on Monday. leaning towards a more stringent approach To One Nation. Much of the move to One Nation in South Australia resulted from the Liberal Party’s primary vote.
Deputy leader Jane Hume admitted the election result was not ideal but argued the Liberals were the only credible alternative to the opposition.
“We need to make sure that when we talk to Australian people we do so with empathy and understanding, but also demonstrate competence and capability,” he told Sky News.
“One Nation is a party of protest. They never delivered a budget. They never delivered hospitals or roads. They never had to make difficult decisions about sending Australian fighters into a war zone or risking Australian assets.”
Hanson hit back by saying the Liberals had failed to be an effective opposition after becoming “depressed and depressed” after losing the 2022 federal election.
“Their policies are hopeless,” Hanson told 2GB on Monday. “I don’t believe they’ve issued any policies [since the 2025 election]They still have not put forward an immigration policy. I’m sick and tired of criticism that we have no policy. You can find all our policies on our website.”
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Brittany Busch is the federal politics correspondent for The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via email.
