State Labor face a worse election loss than its thumping 2011 defeat: poll

The devastating result suggests that if an election was held today, Labor would face a worse wipeout than that experienced by the Liberal and National parties in Western Australia on the weekend.

NSW Labor would suffer a worse result than their landslide loss in 2011 if a state election was held today, according to bombshell polling described as showing the party’s performance is at “100 year lows”.

According to the RedBridge polling of 1982 NSW electors, support for Labor has crashed with an age-weighted primary vote result of just 23.9 per cent.

That’s down from 33.3 per cent last election, and also less than the 25.6 per cent primary vote result from 2011 that saw Labor turfed from office.

Former NSW Premier Kristina Keneally was the party’s leader when it was turfed from office in the 2011 election. Picture: Torsten Blackwood

National secretary of the Australian Workers Union Daniel Walton. Picture: Grant Wells.

The polling was commissioned by the Australian Workers Union (AWU) and the Health Services Union (HSU), two powerful right-wing Labor unions.

“At the moment it looks like Labor’s primary position is at 100 year lows,” AWU NSW Secretary Daniel Walton told the Telegraph.

Mr Walton suggested the polling indicates that if an election were held today, NSW Labor would be in a “worse position than the complete and utter wipeout of the Liberal and National parties in WA”.

According to the results, 32 per cent of respondents indicated that they voted Labor at the last NSW state election. Only 75 per cent of those respondents indicated they will be sticking with Labor.

The age-weighted primary vote for the Liberals was at 37 per cent.

NSW Labor Leader Jodi McKay. Picture: Gaye Gerard

The slump in support is set to further the despair of some in Labor ranks who believe Leader Jodi McKay is failing to gain traction with voters.

One MP, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said there was a “serious sense of doom” in the party.

“There’s so much negativity, there’s so much listlessness, people have almost lost hope,” the source said.

However the MP indicated there were not yet any “imminent” plans to challenge Ms McKay.

Former Labor Premier Morris Iemma said the poll results show that NSW Labor has “essentially ... wasted 10 years”.

He told the Telegraph that NSW deserves better from the opposition.

“Eleven years into a term in opposition the Labor party should be in a much letter position, and the people of NSW deserve an opposition that’s in a much better position,” he said.

Former Premier Morris Iemma says state Labor has wasted the last decade. Picture: AAP Image/Luke Costin

He said Labor’s parliamentary party should “craft out an alternative agenda” as Bob Carr and Neville Wran did before they were elected.

“Carr and Wran who won from Opposition made things happen,” he said.

“It’s not rocket science, it’s been done before. The templates are there, craft out an alternative agenda,” Mr Iemma said.

HSU state secretary Gerard Hayes said the parliamentary party is failing to address key issues like tolls, public transport, and wages.

“Macquarie street Labor needs to look at themselves and think about how they take on the Berejiklian government,” he told the Telegraph.

“If they say the status quo is okay then I think we need to rethink a whole lot of things,” Mr Hayes said.

Health Services Union xecretary Gerard Hayes. Picture: Bianca De Marchi

Last month Ms McKay declared she has the support of both Mr Hayes and Mr Walton after the pair were spotted in parliament for a private lunch.

However Mr Hayes immediately contradicted that claim when contacted by The Daily Telegraph saying it was “bulls**t”.

“We don’t commit to anybody, and we want an opposition that can take this government on,” he told the Telegraph last month.

“We don’t offer blind loyalty, we expect outcomes,” the HSU secretary said.

Originally published as State Labor face a worse election loss than its thumping 2011 defeat: poll