As One Nation’s vote began to rise, there was a common theory offered by the major parties in the corridors of Parliament House – it’s just a protest vote.
The theory made sense – economic conditions were tough, but the Coalition was divided, so conservative voters – and a few from Labor – were parking their vote with One Nation to send a message to the major parties to sharpen up.
But if that were true now, it appears to no longer be the case according to the latest Sky News Pulse.
Voters now think One Nation is a serious option to govern.
Of those seriously considering voting One Nation (38 per cent of the country), 50 per cent say One Nation is ready to govern now, and another 33 per cent say the party will be ready by the time the election is due in two years.
That’s 83 per cent of potential One Nation voters saying they have confidence the party can run the country.
And only one per cent say the party will never be ready to govern.
One Nation’s primary has dropped slightly to 28 per cent (down one point), but it is still leading Labor (26 per cent) and the Coalition on 21 per cent (up one point).
Pauline Hanson will be asked to explain policy detail in her first ever appearance at the National Press Club on Wednesday, and one of her policies is proving divisive.
She wants to scrap the $1.2 billion of funding for the ABC’s capital city operations, switching to an optional subscription model.
While a total of 55 per cent approve, including seven per cent who say they would pay the subscription, 45 per cent oppose the plan.
But it won’t cost her many of her own supporters, with 90 per cent of One Nation voters supporting the plan, which would still have taxpayer funding for regional ABC services.
Sky News Pulse is tracking several key measures to see how voters’ views are changing, and this week we asked about affordability and access to healthcare.
The number of people able to get timely and affordable care has gone down three points to a total of 55 per cent.
That is not a huge shift, but it’s heading in the wrong direction for the government, and that’s despite spending billions on bulk billing measures as a centrepiece of its re-election pitch in 2025.