E&OE TRANSCRIPT
TELEVISION INTERVIEW
SUNRISE
MONDAY, 15 JUNE 2026
Topics: One Nation
MONIQUE WRIGHT: Well, for the first time, Pauline Hanson has shot past Anthony Albanese as Australia's first choice for Prime Minister. The Resolved Political Monitor poll asked almost 2000 Australians who should be the PM. A third of them backed the One Nation leader. For their take, let's bring in Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek and One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce. Good morning to you both.
Ok, so first it was the primary vote. We've seen that in the polls, now preferred PM. Tanya, the orange wave, it just seems to be growing every time we see another of these polls. What do you think is pushing support away from you and towards Pauline Hanson?
TANYA PLIBERSEK, MINISTER FOR SOCIAL SERVICES: Yeah, we get it. I mean, people are feeling under pressure. They're feeling it in their budgets, we know that. But we are the only party that wants to change that. I mean, we're about higher wages, lower taxes, better services, health and education, you know, more Medicare, bulk billing, cheaper medicines, all that good stuff to take pressure off people. In contrast, One Nation are about making, actually making life harder for people. They back lower wages, Pauline Hanson said people are paid too much and they should be easier to sack. Right now they're blocking tax cuts and their only other policies are to make it harder to get an abortion, but easier to get a gun. There's nothing in the One Nation policy bank that would actually make anything easier for ordinary Australians.
WRIGHT: Ok, so, Tanya, if you're full of policy, why is Australia not listening? Or do they just not like the policies that you're putting forward? And so, they'll go with anyone whether there's policy or not there?
MINISTER PLIBERSEK: I think people are really feeling the pressure. We had COVID and then that rolled into the war in Ukraine and now we've got Iran. That's obviously having an impact on Australian budgets right here because of the cost of petrol and people worried about whether we're going to get enough fertiliser and so on. It's a very uncertain world and people are feeling that. But what we're trying to do to address that is make their lives easier here day to day by backing higher wages. Wages have gone up about $12,000 since we came to government, the minimum wage. We want to lower taxes. We want to do that right now in the Parliament, and One Nation and the other conservative parties are blocking that right now. And, you know, the sort of investments we're making in healthcare, like the Tamworth Urgent Care Clinic in Barnaby's electorate has seen more than 30,000 people. We've seen millions of cheaper prescriptions in Barnaby's electorate that saved his constituents about $18 million. You've got 15,500 people who are getting a cut to their student debt in Barnaby's electorate alone. And about 2,500 have got into a home of their own because of our 5 per cent deposits. But we are doing the hard work every day of making change for people because we know that things have to change. We know that it feels like the system is stacked against people.
WRIGHT: Although people aren't listening, are they? If you're doing all of that, they're not listening or they don't trust you moving forward. Do you think it's about trust?
MINISTER PLIBERSEK: I think people are really frustrated and we've got to demonstrate that things are changing and that takes a while. We've just got to keep working to make sure that those tax cuts that we want to deliver right now get to people, we want to keep changing the industrial relations system. One Nation has voted against Same Job, Same Pay. They've voted against things that provide protections for truck drivers and gig economy workers. I mean, Same Job, Same Pay has made a huge difference to mining workers. Pauline Hanson's out there saying she supports mining workers, but not when it comes to paying them decently or giving them better conditions at work. Ok. She wants to see pay cuts and making it easier to sack people.
WRIGHT: Alright, Barnaby, let's talk about your policies then. Tanya's saying you don't have any policies, and you’ve not released the great detail yet because you just haven't had to?
BARNABY JOYCE: Well, the issue is every time we talk about policies, it certainly dominates the agenda. Getting rid of net zero is one. Getting rid of the climate change department and climate policies to try and ease the pressure on electricity is another. Income splitting so that we can look after either Mum or Dad if they wish, if they wish to stay home is yet another. Building dams, Tanya must be moving to Tamworth, which is great. Tanya, I'll welcome you when you arrive here. But you didn't build Dungowan Dam is took money away from that. You took the money away from the inland rail and the big one taxes, tax cuts. You were bringing massive tax increases. Tanya, you're changed, you've gone to the entrepreneurial class of young people coming forward in Australia, got a bat, bang straight across the chops because they tried to get ahead. And then you've got - there are people actually in your electorate, in your electorate investing in Tamworth, but in houses, but you've decided that you're going to kick them up the backside as well. And Tanya, you started with talking points, you went into the middle with excuses. It must make, it was very long. It was a very long dialogue that you had then. And then you finished. Well, the less said about the end, better it's no one believes you because before the last election you lied. You lied. And when people have lied, no one believes you anymore. And so, you can say whatever you like. It's just like, well, whatever.
WRIGHT: So, Barnaby, let's talk about you for a moment. Pauline Hanson has suggested that her daughter Lee could be the next party leader of One Nation. She says that she won't quit politics until she's comfortable to hand on. Where does that leave you, Barnaby? There's one article that I was reading that's calling you the spare heir.
JOYCE: It doesn't worry me. Honestly, honestly, I'm here for the philosophical change for Australia, to try and get us back on track, to try and make sure we become as strong, as powerful, as quickly as possible. Strong as possible, as quickly as possible. Because we've got China breathing down our neck. We've got to have a dynamic change in the way we do business. I'm really happy in the dynamic changes coming in the whole political discussion at the moment. And I never, never, ever get ahead of myself because, you know, hubris is the biggest issue. You've got to be really, really careful. You just got to concentrate on now, concentrate on now. And down the track at an election, it will not be the same as polling today, whatever it is, better, worse, it'll be different, and I just focus on the here and now that is so important.
WRIGHT: All right, well, we know you've got a busy week. Pauline is speaking to the press club on Wednesday. Just quickly, you're helping her prep? A lot of pressure there.
JOYCE: I'll certainly come be there. And we do talk about things all the time. We get along very well.
WRIGHT: Okay. All right. Tanya, Barnaby. Thank you both very much. Good to see you.
JOYCE: You’re welcome.
MINISTER PLIBERSEK: Good to see you.
ENDS
