In my read for 2026, I left out this year’s elephant in the room: One Nation and, specifically, the immigration debate

I’ve been thinking lately about why the dramatic surge in the popularity of One Nation; the support for cutting immigration numbers almost in half or to zero, even; and the seeming rise in nationalism in Australia and elsewhere. Or at least the pushback against internationalism (the UN, WHO etc) and globalisation. And then it occurred to me that I left out something from my read for 2026, specifically on how the 20-26 expresses itself in the collective, and particularly in a country such as Australia. Not as citizens of the world but as Australians living in the nation of Australia in 2026. So, I’ll make amends now.

As I mentioned in my read for the year, 20-26 — as we call/say it now — is comprised of 20 (The Awakening) and 26 (Partnerships). This is particularly pertinent for Australia, which is a 26 (by birth) nation. Even though Australia didn’t federate until January 1, 1901, its birthday is marked on January 26, recognising the landing of Captain Phillip on January 26, 1788. I go in to more detail about Australia here. It does explain a lot about us — even all these many years later.

In the global context, in 2026 one of the key foci concerns the quality of each nation’s relationship with other nations. 

The number 26 relates to sovereignty — political as well as personal — and the power and influence of big organisations, for example, government and corporations, and the legal system. It’s reflected in what we say ‘yes’ to and what we say ‘no’ to; what royalties and taxes we apply to our exports; what we agree to sell to overseas buyers; how much we value what we have; what we agree to do when requested by other nations, for example, when asked to participate in war or military exercises, when asked to host military bases; whenever we agree to go along with what other countries are doing — even if we may have second thoughts — but do it anyway because of traditional alliances, aka, we do as we’re told. You get the drift.

However, this is far more about when we feel someone asks us to do more than we feel we get in return. The number 26 is about looking after ourselves as much as we feel drawn to look after others. It’s inevitably about balance. And I feel this year we are being drawn into a much broader conversation about what that means for ourselves as a nation. Hence, the discussion about immigration. Hence the attraction to One Nation’s immigration policy, which challenges the notion of a Big Australia or the fear of being ‘swamped’ or overwhelmed by others, or other arguments proponents of a smaller Australia offer. Some may counter such fears are irrational or overblown. No matter, it’s not about that. It’s the conversation that matters.

At its core, 26 is perfectly expressed in the pendulum that swings from one side of the political spectrum to the other: all the way from open borders to rigidly controlled borders to closed borders to deporting ‘illegals’. To learn from 26 is to see that pendulum return to the centre in the search for stability and cohesion. Which makes for a healthy partnership. (Is it not also true that politics is about winning the ground held by the “sensible centre” that many will claim they represent?) So, expect more debate, conflict, upheaval in our politics as the pendulum goes into overdrive; the 1-year turbocharges the pendulum. Because 26 reduces to an 8, expect the ‘conversation’ to go deep, to unearth unpleasantries, to be divisive. The pressure is relentless for that full and frank conversation. It’s like the dog that won’t let go of the bone until it’s fully chewed all the taste away. Politics won’t be/can’t be business-as-usual.

What to do, how to traverse this potential minefield? I will leave you with this. The new cycle begins with recognising the necessity of balance and justice. We can’t initiate the things we want as a society while we keep giving our core away. (Remember the analogy: if the sun represents your heart, only give away the warmth of the sun’s rays, never that which gives forth the rays, your sun. Do that, soon enough there’ll be no warmth to give.) No matter what transpires, don’t take anything personally. Hold back on judgement; we don’t know everything or even close to enough to judge. Allow yourself and others and the whole nation to explore the various nooks and crannies before that pendulum finds its happy place. This applies to us as a collective even more than it does to us as individuals.

By the way, immigration isn’t the only lens through which to view the rise of One Nation. There are other explanations, other issues, including globalisation. I’m just using it to illustrate the 26 in 2026. And, by the way, Australia has the 26 to deal with as long as it keeps January 26 as its birthday. So, these issue of sovereignty, self-worth and standing up for ourselves aren’t going away any time soon.

If we do 2026 well and have the uncomfortable conversations, gain some wisdom, and get used to stepping back a bit and not rushing to judgement, it’ll be a dry run for 2027, which could have us emerging as Zen masters. Hehe. But that’s another story and for later.

To read my thoughts on 2026, including how you might be personally affected over the whole year, go to The Year 2026. I’ve included how each of our personal years interacts with the global 1-year.

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