Crashing the parties: Voters mark leaders down but Palaszczuk keeps her edge

Queensland voters have marked down the performance of the state’s major party leaders, but prefer Annastacia Palaszczuk as premier despite a growing negative view of her.

After a tumultuous few months, Labor and the LNP also continue to shed support, polling conducted for Brisbane Times shows, with the Greens and the idea of independent candidates gaining popularity.

Labor’s Annastacia Palaszczuk remains the preferred premier but the gap between her and LNP leader David Crisafulli has narrowed.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen, Matt Dennien

While still 18 months from next state election, the souring public perception of both leaders since the first Queensland-specific Resolve Strategic survey released in December highlights the vastly different roads ahead for Palaszczuk and the LNP’s David Crisafulli.

Tracked between January 17 and April 17 as youth crime and housing issues ignited political debate, the survey asked 943 registered voters how they would number a ballot paper – with party options tailored to their region – if one were put in front of them that day.

There has been little change in primary votes across the board outside the 3.2 per cent margin of error, but Labor and the LNP have continued to slip from their 2020 election results – both now at 35 per cent and 33 per cent, respectively.

Meanwhile, voters have continued to turn to the Greens (up from 9 per cent to 12 per cent) and the idea of an unspecified independent candidate (up from 2 per cent to 10 per cent).

The Katter’s Australian Party vote held at 1 per cent after slipping from 3 per cent at the 2020 election, while One Nation remained steady with 7 per cent. One per cent selected “other”.

Palaszczuk remains preferred premier among 39 per cent of voters surveyed more than halfway into her third term, though a drop in support has narrowed the gap between her and Crisafulli, who had the support of 31 per cent. A total of 31 per cent were also undecided.

The survey also showed a significant shift in the balance of voters who liked or disliked Palaszczuk, taking her into a net negative rating among the 98 per cent of people who felt familiar enough with her to have an opinion.

Only 58 per cent of voters could rate Crisafulli, who narrowly kept his overall positive rating despite a drop in support.

Resolve director Jim Reed said the latest changes continued a long-term trend showing a “significant drop” for Labor since the 2020 election and slipping support for the two major parties in favour of the Greens and independents.

“This is exactly the pattern we’ve found in recent federal and state elections,” Reed said.

“This latest snapshot shows the Greens and independents are on the rise, but their electoral prospects do depend on how many candidates they run, where they run and who they are.”

Personal attacks and heated debate have dominated the third year of the state’s first four-year fixed term.

While the LNP has sought to portray Palaszczuk as out of touch with the electorate, Labor MPs have ramped up personal attacks of Crisafulli.

Dr Chris Salisbury, a political historian at the University of Queensland, has likened the rowdy and restless mood among MPs to “one of the school terms that goes on longer than others” as parties adjusted to navigating a longer period between elections.