Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has used the opening of Labor’s 50th National Conference to sharpen his party’s attack on Pauline Hanson’s One Nation.
Speaking in Adelaide, Albanese referred to One Nation’s “personality clashes, policy confusion, conspiracy theories, and candidate chaos”. His argument was that public frustration over living costs and politics deserves a practical response rather than what he described as attention-seeking culture wars.
The intervention reflects One Nation’s much stronger position in 2026 polling. Labor figures now speak about the party as a serious competitor for disillusioned voters, not merely a protest option at the margins.
Why the conference matters
Labor’s national conference brings together parliamentary leaders, unions and rank-and-file delegates to debate the party platform. The 2026 meeting runs from 23 to 25 July at the Adelaide Convention Centre.
Albanese entered the gathering promising to showcase the government’s work and its plans for another term. Internal debate over AUKUS, energy, Indigenous policy and the government’s position on the war in Gaza also sits behind the public display of unity.
The political test is whether attacking One Nation helps Labor win back voters or simply gives the minor party more attention. That contest will depend less on conference rhetoric than on whether households feel improvement in wages, housing and daily costs.