Trust in Australian Politicians Falls as One Nation Leads

One Nation drew 28% support in the latest Newspoll, edging ahead of Labor at 27%. Trust in federal politicians fell to 30.5% in a year. The poll puts a number on the widening gap between political institutions and the people they claim to represent.

The survey of 1,200 voters took place last week, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.2 percentage points. The traditional main conservative coalition rose to 21%. Labor’s support declined as inflation remained elevated and interest rates increased. The Australian carried the Newspoll.

The distance between voters and power

The 2026 McKinnon Index found trust in state and territory politicians had fallen six percentage points to 32.7%. Trust in the federal government dropped from 37.6% to 33.1%, while fewer than one in four Australians reported high trust in political parties. Those numbers offer little comfort to a political class asking for faith as its own institutions lose it.

Confidence that Australians can freely express political opinions fell from 67.9% to 58.1%. Fewer than half believed the political system allowed people like them to have a say. Among people whose education ended at high school, 41.7% felt they had a say, compared with 54.6% of university graduates.

Satisfaction with democracy declined from 54.5% to 50.7%, though more than three-quarters still said democracy was preferable to any other system of government. Satisfaction stood at 39.7% among Australians whose education ended at high school and 59% among university graduates. Almost three-quarters of graduates felt confident in election outcomes, compared with fewer than half of Australians with a high school education or below.

Education also shaped people’s access to political information. Fewer than half of people without tertiary qualifications felt confident accessing reliable public-policy information; almost two-thirds of graduates did. More than 80% of graduates said they understood how Australian democracy worked, while fewer than two-thirds of those whose education ended at high school said the same. The Index found educational attainment divided people more sharply than income on several measures of democratic confidence and participation.

Distrust, division and the ballot box

Respondents named broken promises as a reason for distrust in 25% of cases, dishonesty in 22.1%, politicians being out of touch in 19%, and self-interest in 15.5%. Another 5.8% cited the cost of living. Meanwhile, 74.4% believed the country had become more divided over the preceding year, and more Australians viewed political discussion as unhealthy.

The survey found that 27.5% of men aged 18 to 24 agreed violence could sometimes be justified to advance a cause they cared about. The figure was 16.9% among women the same age and 10.1% among Australians overall. More than one in five young Australians said they’d rule out friendships with people who held different political views: 21.8% of men and 21.2% of women aged 18 to 24. Among people over 65, the figures were 4.5% for men and 6.3% for women, compared with 11.1% across the population.

Trust in the Australian Electoral Commission increased to 72.9%. Confidence in the public service, courts, independent regulators and anti-corruption commissions remained stable or improved. Yet fewer than half believed people like them had a say in government. Confidence in election administration and confidence in political voice aren’t the same measure.

The Index drew on interviews with 4,273 Australians conducted by Roy Morgan between June 19 and July 21, 2026. It arrived amid concern about political hostility following the alleged attack the previous month on independent MP Helen Haines outside her Wangaratta electorate office. The report also found One Nation surging in national opinion polls, major parties struggling to retain voters, and debates over immigration, antisemitism and social cohesion intensifying following the December 2025 Bondi massacre.

McKinnon interim executive chairman John Thwaites, a former Victorian deputy premier, said the results showed growing disconnection between Australians and elected representatives. “People need to know their voice matters,” Thwaites said. “They also need to see leaders acting with integrity, keeping their promises and delivering outcomes that make a difference to their lives. Both matter if we want to rebuild trust.” The article was part of a content partnership with McKinnon, which is described as an independent, non-partisan, not-for-profit organisation focused on democracy and good government.