Anthony Albanese confronted a serious wake-up call this week, in the form of another historic Newspoll placing One Nation ahead of the major parties.
The consistent surge in polling results for One Nation, alongside its victory in the Farrer byelection and gains in the recent South Australian state election, has positioned it as a serious force challenging both Labor and the Coalition.
At a news conference on Monday, Mr Albanese stood up to declare his intention to reduce Australia's annual migration intake to 225,000 while calling for a country "patriotic about all of us being Australians" in response to the meteoric rise of the far-right party.
He pointed to economic insecurity as the chief force driving voter disillusionment, arguing that "it's the economy that sets the parameters for debate."
"The hard decisions that we made on the budget that we want to make sure that we put in place mechanisms that do make a difference, not politically easy decisions, but the right decisions, and that if governments don't respond to that, there'll be a continued rise in populism, be it of the right or the left," Mr Albanese said.
The government can see the right-wing support surge coming at it like a freight train and is determined not to stand still waiting to get run down by it. Labor has recognised that status-quo small-target politics will not ensure its survival, which in part explains its new-found appetite to take risks on issues like changes to the tax system.
But part of One Nation's rise has been fuelled by voter anxiety about high levels of immigration and concerns about social cohesion after the Bondi terror attack in December.
Migrants remain central to our success as a nation.
The political establishment, including Labor, is keen to acknowledge that sentiment which is why migration again finds itself back on centre stage.
In an attempt to reclaim voters flocking to the hard right, Opposition Leader Angus Taylor has proposed to cut non-citizens from accessing welfare programs and slash intake to align with housing construction rates.
The Coalition's anti-immigration pitch has so far failed to land, with Mr Taylor suffering a record drop in the polls for failing to acknowledge the thousands of Australian families living alongside permanent residents.
But for Mr Albanese and Labor, the rise of One Nation has raised an entirely new set of questions about how to address widespread angst and anger over high cost-of-living and persistent inflation.
The real problem for Labor is resonating with voters fed up with stagnant living standards.
Mr Albanese's challenge is no longer just about managing migration levels but about convincing people that his economic policies are actually improving their daily lives.
In that context, migration becomes less of a policy debate and more a symbol of frustration about strains on housing and other public services that voters are experiencing. Unless Labor can clearly articulate a sense of direction that restores confidence in the future, it risks encouraging voters looking for disruption to look elsewhere.
It should be an easy argument. Australia has a widely celebrated history of migrants who built this country, its rich culture, economy and prosperity. They remain central to our success as a nation, but that's not the message voters are currently hearing.
Combined with a sustainable intake that seeks to bring in the best people, the government can and should be doing more to remind weary voters that migrants are a national strength, not a political football.
Welcoming the best and brightest to our shores is one of the best ways we can continue to prosper and set ourselves up for the global challenges ahead.
