Jim Chalmers says One Nation poses a “dangerous threat” to Australian politics after the minor party secured its first lower house seat in WA.

Addressing the Queensland Labor State conference in Brisbane on Sunday, the Treasurer said the government was conscious of the challenge posed by One Nation and that Federal Labor MPs understood the political stakes.

He launched a broader attack on the Opposition, portraying the Liberals, Nationals and One Nation as a potential alliance capable of fuelling division.

“The threat to our country and its cohesion, its people, and our economy [is] posed by a dangerous and divisive coalition of chaos – a three-ring circus of Liberals, Nationals, and One Nation,” Dr Chalmers said.

Dr Chalmers argued that the political divide was increasingly being shaped by how parties respond to the pressures facing Australia, particularly the cost of living.

“Today the biggest fault lines in our politics aren’t just between the centre-left and the extreme right, but between those of us who want to address and alleviate the legitimate frustrations that people feel about the cost of living and other pressures, and those who just want to picket them and prey on them, to politicise them and capitalise on them, while leaving our major challenges largely undisturbed,” he added.

At the same conference, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese used his appearance to defend Labor’s record on tax cuts and property tax, saying the party’s brand continued to carry meaning for votes, despite the defeat in Secret Harbour.

“Unlike the right-wing parties, we have a Liberal Party that isn’t liberal,” he said, while not directly addressing the loss to One Nation.

“We have a National Party that certainly isn’t national. And One Nation, whose leader seeks to divide Australians and talks Australia down, whether she is here or overseas.”

Mr Albanese said that many Australians remained under financial pressure and argued Labor’s response should focus on practical measures rather than political confrontation.

“Now we all know that right now many Australians are under pressure… my response to this situation is clear: to show people that government can ease the financial pressure and lower the temperature of our debates while building a better future,” the Prime Minister said.

“The only mainstream political force in Australia that seeks to govern in the interests of the Australian people in our own right is the Australian Labor Party.

“This is a crucial time for our movement because across the world, hard right popular populists are on the march, peddling politics that is dangerous, divisive, and downright dishonest.

“We simply must defeat them. We owe it to history. We owe it to the nation.

“They’ll say anything and do anything to win votes, bend any facts, and all misinformation and disinformation turn Australian against Australian. Parties like One Nation have no serious answers to problems which are there.”