Federal Voting Intention: ALP increases two-party preferred lead as One Nation surges (up 6%) at the expense of Coalition (down 6.5%)

Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 20-Jan-26

The Roy Morgan Poll from January 12-18, 2026 shows the ALP (53.5%, up 1.5% from a week ago) increasing its lead over the Coalition (46.5%, down 1.5%) on a two-party preferred basis. Primary support for the ALP fell 1.5% to 28.5%, the Coalition was down 6.5% to 24%, and One Nation surged 6% to 21% – a new record high for the party in the history of the Roy Morgan Poll. The Greens were unchanged on 13.5% while Independent/ Other Parties were up 2% to 13%. Only 52.5% of electors supported either the ALP or Coalition while 47.5% supported either One Nation, The Greens, or Independents/ Other Parties. The latest Roy Morgan Poll was surveyed with a representative cross-section of 1,630 Australians from Monday January 12 to Sunday January 18. Full details of this Roy Morgan Poll will be released later today.

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ROY MORGAN LIMITED, MORGAN POLL, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, ONE NATION PARTY

Albanese defends two-party politics

Original article by Thomas Henry, Sarah Ison
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 20-Jan-26

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has responded to public opinion polls which show that support for One Nation is rising. Speaking on ABC Radio, Albanese said he does not want One Nation’s vote to exceed that of the Coalition, contending that Australia’s two-party system has "served the nation pretty well". He also argued that One Nation promotes division rather than social cohesion, adding that the party has been a divisive force ever since it was established. Meanwhile, One Nation leader Pauline Hanson says the public is "fed up" with a lack of leadership from the major political parties and sees her as someone who wants to fight for them. Hanson added that "I stand up for what I believe in".

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, ONE NATION PARTY

Queensland rejects gun buyback plan

Original article by Brittney Levinson, Jesinta Burton, Sumeyya Ilanbey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 20-Jan-26

A Queensland government spokesman has advised that it will not support the proposed national gun buyback scheme, contending that the state will not be distracted from the core issue of anti-Semitism. The federal government’s gun buyback scheme will be jointly funded by the states and territories, although Tasmania and the Northern Territory oppose this aspect of the scheme. Shooting Industry Foundation of Australia CEO James Walsh says gun owners should receive "fair market value" for surrendering their firearms; he notes that unlike the 1996 gun buyback, the government’s proposed scheme does not guarantee fair compensation for gun owners and sellers.

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SHOOTING INDUSTRY FOUNDATION OF AUSTRALIA

Labor’s hate speech laws set to pass as Ley and Albanese cut deal on bill crafted in wake of Bondi terror attack

Original article by Dan Jervis-Bardy, Tom McIlroy
The Guardian Australia – Page: Online : 20-Jan-26

The National Party will seek additional protections regarding the banning of hate groups when parliament debates the federal government’s hate speech laws today. However, sources within the Liberal Party say that the legislation is likely to be passed even without the Nationals’ support, after Liberal MPs agreed to vote in favour of the revised bill. Opposition leader Sussan Ley had described the previous omnibus bill as "pretty unsalvageable", but the Coalition agreed to back the hate speech provisions after Labor accepted the need to legislate gun control laws separately and make a number of changes to the hate speech bill. Legislation to establish a national gun buyback scheme is expected to be passed with the support of the Greens.

CORPORATES
NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS

Australia should reconsider alliance with fiercely unpredictable US, former foreign ministers say

Original article by Krishani Dhanji, Josh Butler
The Guardian Australia – Page: Online : 13-Jan-26

Former Labor foreign minister Bob Carr says the US has become a "fiercely unpredictable" ally under Donald Trump, and that Australia should reconsider its alliance with it. Another former Labor foreign minister, Gareth Evans, said he was worried that the US had "zero respect" for international law or the interests of its allies, and that the Aukus pact should be reconsidered. With the US having recently seized Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro and threatened to take over Greenland, Carr says it was wise for the federal government to "keep our head down and watch closely", adding it was unclear what Trump’s "burst of unilateralism" meant for the world.

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AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Allan denies firefighting funding cuts

Original article by Anthony Galloway, Liam Mendes
The Australian – Page: 7 : 13-Jan-26

Victoria’s Opposition claims that the state government has cut funding to the Country Fire Authority, with the CFA’s most recent annual report being cited as evidence. It shows that government grant funding fell from $351.6m to $339.5m over the four years to 2023-24, with the CFA’s 2024-25 annual report not yet released. With Premier Jacinta Allan rejecting the opposition’s claims, the row over funding comes as CFA volunteers fighting the state’s current bushfires have claimed that they are being expected to do so in ageing trucks with no air-conditioning in temperatures of up to 40C. About 27 fires were still burning across Victoria on Monday.

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VICTORIA. COUNTRY FIRE AUTHORITY, VICTORIA. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET

Minerals stockpile faces long road to pay-off

Original article by Tom Rabe
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 13-Jan-26

The Association of Mining & Exploration Companies’ CEO Warren Pearce says the federal government’s critical minerals strategic reserve could potentially be generating revenue for the nation by 2030. He adds that its success will depend on securing offtake agreements quickly. Resources Minister Madeleine King has conceded that it will take some time for the strategic reserve to begin producing revenue, but she believes that the need for a more diversified critical minerals supply chain will eventually result in "upside" for the nation. King adds that Australia has some key advantages over resources-rich Greenland in the development of mineral deposits.

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ASSOCIATION OF MINING AND EXPLORATION COMPANIES, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INDUSTRY, SCIENCE AND RESOURCES

‘I’ll cut off Cuba’s oil, put Rubio in charge’: Trump

Original article by David Charter, Stephen Gibbs
The Australian – Page: 8 : 13-Jan-26

Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum says her country will continue to supply Cuba with crude oil, referring to the shipments as humanitarian aid. Sheinbaum’s comments come after US President Donald Trump cut off Cuba’s entire supply of heavily subsidised oil from Venezuela, while he also re-posted an account on his Truth Social site which stated that "Marco Rubio will be president of Cuba", accompanied by a laughing face emoji. Trump’s secretary of state, Rubio is Cuban-American and a long-time opponent of the Cuban government

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UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES. DEPT OF STATE

Roy Morgan Poll: ALP two-party lead is smallest since the Federal Election following the ‘Bondi Shooting’: ALP 52% cf. L-NP 48%

Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 13-Jan-26

In the week of January 5-11, 2026, the first Roy Morgan Poll since the ‘Bondi Shooting’, Coalition support is at 30.5% (up 3% since the week of December 8-14, 2025) just ahead of the ALP on 30% (down 0.5%), One Nation is on 15% (down 2%), the Greens are on 13.5% (up 0.5%), and Independents/Other Parties are at 11% (down 1%). The latest Roy Morgan survey was conducted with a representative Australia-wide cross-section of 1,676 electors in the week of January 5-11. In addition, the Roy Morgan Government Confidence Rating plunged 7 points after the ‘Bondi Shooting’ in mid-December to 74 in early January. Only 19.5% (down 13.5%) say the country is ‘going in the right direction’ while 45.5% (down 6.5%) say the country is ‘going in the wrong direction’. On a two-party preferred basis, the ALP is now on 52% (down 2.5% since the week of December 8-14, 2025) ahead of the Coalition on 48% (up 2.5%). If a Federal Election were held now the ALP would be returned to Government with a decreased majority. The Albanese Government’s two-party preferred lead in early January is the closest result between the two major parties since the Federal Election result in May 2025: ALP 55.2% cf. L-NP 44.8%, and the closest the Coalition has been for almost a year.

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ROY MORGAN LIMITED, MORGAN POLL, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, ONE NATION PARTY

Preach hate, go to prison: PM’s sermon

Original article by Sarah Ison, Elizabeth Pike
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 13-Jan-26

The federal government aims to pass its omnibus bill on hate speech and gun control during a special two-day sitting of parliament next week. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has urged bipartisan support for the bill, but says he is open to "constructive suggestions" to improve it. Amongst other things, the bill is intended to target Islamic hate preachers and ban designated hate groups, with jail terms of up to 15 years for people who join or finance such groups. However, the Opposition has criticised the decision to address hate speech and a national gun buyback scheme in a single bill, contending that they are unrelated policy areas. There is also concern about an exemption from the hate speech laws if someone is merely quoting from religious texts.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET