The mirage of the One Nation surge

The mirage of the One Nation surge

From New Politics: Australian Politics by New Politics

March 26, 2026 · 41 min

About this episode

This episode analyzes the South Australian election results and their implications for Australian politics, focusing on Labor's victory and the rise of One Nation.

The South Australian election has reshaped Australian politics – but not in the way the mainstream media suggests. In this episode, we break down Labor’s landslide victory under Premier Peter Malinauskas, the collapse of the Liberal Party, and the widely overstated rise of One Nation, which secured 22% of the primary vote but only one lower house seat. We examine how Australia’s preferential voting system works, why minor parties like One Nation and the Australian Greens struggle to convert votes into seats, and whether electoral reform or proportional representation could deliver a more representative democracy. We also analyse the media’s role in amplifying right-wing populism, the shifting dynamics within the conservative vote, and what these results mean for the future of Australian politics, including Labor’s dominance, the potential for political realignment, and the growing fragmentation of the party system. #AUSPOL Support New Politics: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/newpolitics Substack: https://newpolitics.substack.com Song listing: ‘La Femme d’Argent’, AIR.

People in this episode

Host: New Politics

Topics covered

  • South Australian election
  • Labor victory
  • One Nation
  • preferential voting
  • electoral reform
  • media influence
  • political fragmentation

Keywords

  • South Australian election
  • Labor Party
  • One Nation
  • Liberal Party
  • preferential voting
  • electoral reform
  • right-wing populism
  • political realignment

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: One Nation, Australian Greens, Labor, Liberal Party

Places: South Australia, Australia

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