New poll reveals shocking results for the Albanese government

A new poll has provided startling insight into what the majority of Aussies think about Anthony Albanese’s government — as well as a major revelation about Opposition Leader Peter Dutton.

Most Australians say Anthony Albanese’s government has the wrong priorities and they’re poorer or no better off than when he was elected, a shock new poll has found.

In a fresh blow to the Prime Minister after weeks of headlines about Qantas upgrades and his $4.3 million beach house, for the first time a majority of Australians now think Peter Dutton is ready to lead the country.

The Redbridge poll of public opinion also found almost half of all voters think the country is headed in the wrong direction, compared to less than a third who think it is on the right track.

The worrying picture of voter sentiment after two and a half years of Albo-time shows the people most alienated from the government are not bosses but Labor’s traditional blue collar base – the same types of people who earlier this month fled the Democrats for Donald Trump.

Things are looking grim for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

The Redbridge poll found that overall only 6 per cent of Australians strongly agree the Albanese government is focused on the right priorities while 25 per cent strongly disagree.

Altogether a majority – 52 per cent – either disagreed or strongly disagreed with the idea the Albanese government has the right focus.

In contrast fewer than one in three people – 30 per cent – viewed the government’s priorities positively.

In a sign of the depth of the cost of living crisis only 31 per cent of voters agreed they were better off than two and a half years ago, whereas 57 per cent disagreed.

The poll also found there was a chasm between workers and managers’ attitudes to the government.

Only 1 per cent of the blue collar voters who make up Labor’s traditional base strongly agreed the government has the right priorities, compared to 21 per cent of professionals and managers.

Almost twice as many professionals and managers think the Albanese government has the right focus (38 per cent) as blue collar voters (20 per cent).

The poll also found a shift in public mood about Peter Dutton’s readiness for office since last year.

Last November the difference between the percentage of people who thought he was ready and people who thought he was unready was 20 points in his disfavour.

By April this deficit had shrunk to 9 per cent and in July was only 6 per cent.

V for Victory? Voters are backing Peter Dutton for PM. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

For the first time in this survey the number of people who think Mr Dutton is ready for office has overtaken the number of people who don’t think he’s ready.

Redbridge Director Tony Barry said the snapshot of voter sentiment was deeply worrying for the Prime Minister with little more than six months until an election must be held.

“With 48 per cent of voters believing Australia is on the wrong track, and a majority thinking the Prime Minister is focused on the wrong priorities, there is a very strong mood-for-change sentiment in the electorate,” he said.

He said the government should be especially worried about the growing alienation of its blue collar base.

“Labor’s problem is that Albanese is a white-collar person’s idea of a blue-collar person and a perception among their base that his priorities are not aligned with theirs,” Mr Barry said.

“If they can’t reconnect with their base in coming months there’s a real danger that some Labor seats that aren’t normally in play might be on the table during the campaign.”

He said the shift in voter sentiment about the Opposition Leader also boded badly for the government.

“There is a growing cohort of Dutton-curious voters who are more prepared to accept the proposition that the Coalition are ready for government,” he said.

“In the last seven months on the ready for government measurement, the Coalition has moved from net -9 to net +1, representing a 10-point movement which in political tracks is a very significant movement.”

His colleague Kos Samaras said there was a growing body of evidence Australians no longer believe that the pre-pandemic world is coming back.

“The grief that comes from that realisation will have a profound impact at the next election,” he said.

“We expect that impact to have serious consequences for Labor within electorates where residents have been hit severely by inflation, a repeat of a global trend.”

The weighted online survey of 1506 people was carried out between November 13-20.

Originally published as New poll reveals shocking results for the Albanese government