There is frustration in Labor’s ranks that on the few occasions politics has cut through with voters this year, it has often been an own goal by Anthony Albanese.

The prime minister has struggled to articulate a clear narrative in his first term, and his government has suffered in opinion polls as a consequence. The Australian Financial Review/Freshwater poll shows Labor has lagged the Coalition in the popular vote since July while Albanese has slipped as the preferred prime minister and is now statistically tied with Peter Dutton.