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Shock for Labor as One Nation takes the lead in poll of party's Melbourne stronghold held for almost a century

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Comino, N. (2026, October 4). Shock for Labor as One Nation takes the lead in poll of party's Melbourne stronghold held for almost a century. Daily Mail. https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16181527/victoria-labor-footscray-poll-greens-one-nation.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490

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Daily Mail · collected 2026-10-04 · by Nicholas Comino

Quick Summary

A recent poll commissioned by the Greens shows a significant shift in voter support in Melbourne’s historic Labor stronghold of Footscray, with One Nation leading on primary votes with 28.6%, compared to Labor's 27.5%. Conducted between September 22 and October 1 among 1,000 voters, this poll marks a dramatic drop for Labor from its 43.1% support in the 2022 Victorian election. The poll also indicates that the Greens have slipped to third place with 14.9%. This development underscores growing challenges for both Labor and the Greens as they approach the November election in Victoria, where Labor has held Footscray continuously since its creation in 1927.
Written by AI on 2026-10-04, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

A recent poll commissioned by the Greens revealed a dramatic shift in voter support for Labor in the long-standing Melbourne electorate of Footscray, where Labor has held continuous control since 1927. The survey, conducted between September 22 and October 1 with 1,000 voters, showed that One Nation now leads on primary votes at 28.6%, narrowly ahead of Labor at 27.5%. This represents a significant decline for Labor from its 43.1% share in the 2022 Victorian election, marking a 15.6 percentage point drop over just four years. The Liberal Party secured 15.1%, while the Greens and other parties combined received 14.9% and 13.9% respectively. Footscray covers areas including Footscray, Maidstone, Maribyrnong, Seddon, West Footscray, and parts of Yarraville, making this a major upset in Labor's traditional heartland.

Written for “Labor Party Threatened” on 2026-11-01, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Labor Party Threatened
Politics · 1 article(s) covering the same event.

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 11% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
The Sydney Morning Herald
⚖️ Leans strongly left Hedges 3 of 50 claims Outlet record 61/100
“The articles describe different events related to elections in Melbourne but focus on distinct locations and political dynamics: one involves preselection issues in Pakenham, while the other reports a poll showing One Nation leading Labor in Footscray.”
Daily Mail
Hedges 2 of 19 claims Outlet record 68/100
“The articles describe different events: one is about Pauline Hanson's campaign launch with police presence and protesters, while the other reports on a poll showing One Nation leading in Labor's traditional stronghold.”
ABC News (AU)
⚖️ Leans strongly right Hedges 0 of 35 claims Outlet record 68/100
“The articles discuss different aspects of One Nation's campaign in Victoria: one focuses on their policy announcements, while the other reports on a poll indicating their potential electoral success.”
The Guardian
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 1 of 22 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles describe different poll results regarding public support for political parties in distinct contexts.”
ABC News (AU)
⚖️ Leans right Hedges 6 of 42 claims Outlet record 68/100
“Article A discusses the overall unpredictability of the upcoming Victorian election due to various factors including One Nation's rise, while Article B reports on a specific poll showing One Nation leading in a particular seat previously held by Labor for nearly a century.”
The Sydney Morning Herald
⚖️ Leans strongly right Hedges 1 of 31 claims Outlet record 61/100
“Article A describes a campaign launch with a candidate's pledge, while Article B reports on polling data for an election seat.”
The Guardian
⚖️ Leans strongly right Hedges 3 of 27 claims Outlet record 66/100
“Article A reports on a specific poll result for Footscray, while Article B discusses Taylor's immigration policy and its impact on Hanson's support.”
Daily Mail
Hedges 4 of 24 claims Outlet record 68/100
“The articles describe polling data with different primary vote percentages and are conducted for different purposes.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
18
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
11%
2 of 18 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
68/100
Daily Mail's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
1
Politics
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-04 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Daily Mail · 8613 article(s) · 20 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 20 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Nicholas Comino
84 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 'We've all got slightly different jobs and come at things from slightly different perspectives as you would expect,' she said.
🔮 Pape did not identify the politician and said he would not reveal their name.
🔮 We understand it's unlikely he will receive a 'villain edit' in the next season, as the production company Endemol Shine Australia will be treading very carefully.
🔮 He claimed the department had 'absolutely no prospects whatsoever of changing the climate' and scrapping it would save money.
🔮 Inflation accelerated again in the September quarter despite four interest rate increases this year, bolstering expectations the Reserve Bank could tighten monetary policy again when it meets next week.
🔮 If the swing were replicated uniformly across Victoria, the Coalition would comfortably win government in its own right and could pick up more than 20 seats from Labor.
🔮 The Coalition has pledged to give Australians a legal right to pay with cash, unveiling a new bill that would force major retailers, restaurants, pharmacies and government agencies to accept notes and coins.
🔮 'Let me say that if the Prime Minister were to intervene and cancel any of this madness, then I will be the first to go on 2GB in the afternoon and congratulate Anthony Albanese,' Howard said.
🔮 There are devices to be analysed, evidence to be analysed and assessed, so that will remain the case for a number of weeks and months.
Also by Nicholas Comino
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
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Topics

Footscray Greens Labor Melbourne One Nation

Subjects

Labor ORG · 15× Greens ORG · 9× Footscray GPE · 8× One Nation ORG · 5× Coalition ORG · 3× Melbourne GPE · 3× Ben Carroll PERSON · 2× Liberals NORP · 2× Victoria GPE · 2× Victorian NORP · 2×

Narrative

The poll places the Liberals on 15.1 per cent, the Greens on 14.9 per cent, and other parties and independents on a combined 13.9 per cent. Footscray has been held by Labor continuously since its creation in 1927 and forms part of the party's traditional heartland in Melbourne's west. The electorate covers Footscray, Maidstone, Maribyrnong, Seddon, West Footscray and parts of Yarraville.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-04
🔮 If reflected at the ballot box, the figures would represent a 15.6 percentage point collapse in Labor's primary vote in just four years.

Claims (18 extracted, 2 hedged)

A shock poll has revealed a dramatic collapse in Labor support in the Melbourne stronghold of Footscray, with One Nation overtaking Labor on primary votes in a seat the party has held for almost a century. asserted
party → reveal → century
The Greens-commissioned survey of 1,000 voters, conducted between September 22 and October 1, puts One Nation on 28.6 per cent of the primary vote, narrowly ahead of Labor on 27.5 per cent. asserted
survey → commission → cent
The result marks a stunning reversal in a seat where Labor secured 43.1 per cent of the primary vote at the 2022 Victorian election. asserted
Labor → mark → election
If reflected at the ballot box, the figures would represent a 15.6 percentage point collapse in Labor's primary vote in just four years. asserted
figures → reflect → years
The poll places the Liberals on 15.1 per cent, the Greens on 14.9 per cent, and other parties and independents on a combined 13.9 per cent. Footscray has been held by Labor continuously since its creation in 1927 and forms part of the party's traditional heartland in Melbourne's west. The electorate covers Footscray, Maidstone, Maribyrnong, Seddon, West Footscray and parts of Yarraville. asserted
electorate → place → Yarraville
At the 2022 election, Labor MP Katie Hall, who was first elected in 2018, won 43.1 per cent of the primary vote before defeating the Greens on preferences. asserted
who → elect → preferences
One Nation polled a 28.6 per cent primary in an internal Greens poll for the seat of Footscray The Greens finished second with 22.4 per cent, while the Liberals secured 17.9 per cent. asserted
Liberals → poll → cent
One Nation's candidate for the seat is Alexander Lopez, a financial controller who, according to his candidate profile, has spent more than three decades working across transport and logistics, manufacturing, recycling, automation and commercial property management. uncertain
who → accord → transport
Born in Argentina, he migrated to Australia in 1975 and grew up in Melbourne's western suburbs after his family settled in Footscray. asserted
family → bear → Footscray
He attended Hyde Street Primary School and remains involved in the local community, including playing masters football. asserted
He → attend → football
The polling presents an equally serious warning for the Greens, who entered the last election as Labor's main challenger in Footscray. asserted
who → present → Footscray
In 2022, Greens candidate Elena Pereyra won 22.4 per cent of the primary vote and ultimately reached the final count against Ms Hall. asserted
Pereyra → win → Hall
The new poll suggests Greens support has fallen sharply, leaving the party behind both One Nation and Labor. uncertain
support → suggest → Nation
Ben Carroll (pictured) is under pressure as Labor's vote has collapsed in polls since 2022 Footscray has long been regarded as one of the safest seats in Victoria, with Labor never losing the electorate in its 99-year history. The internal Footscray polling reflects broader trends across Victoria, where Labor continues to struggle in public polls ahead of the November election. asserted
Labor → picture → election
A Freshwater Strategy poll of 1,030 voters conducted between September 24 and 28 found Labor's primary vote had slipped one point since August to 24 per cent, while the Coalition also fell one point to 29 per cent. asserted
Coalition → conduct → cent
One Nation remained steady at 22 per cent, while the Greens were unchanged on 14 per cent. asserted
Greens → remain → cent
The survey put the Coalition ahead of Labor 53-47 on a two-party preferred basis, representing an eight-point swing against the government compared with the 2022 election and a one-point improvement for the Coalition since Freshwater's August poll. Opposition Leader Jess Wilson topped the poll as preferred Premier with 37 per cent with Ben Carroll in second at 30 per cent. asserted
Wilson → put → cent
One Nation Victorian leader Warren Pickering was preferred premier by just 13 per cent of voters. asserted
Pickering → prefer → voters
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