Bill Shorten’s popularity declines ahead of key by-elections

LEAKED internal polling reveals Bill Shorten’s popularity has fallen to its lowest point following his embarrassing tax backdown and simmering leadership tensions. It was also revealed the Labor leader is particularly unpopular among young women.

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BILL Shorten is on the nose with voters in three key by-election seats and is particularly unpopular among young women, new polling reveals.

With less than three weeks to the Super Saturday by-­elections, leaked Liberal Party polling seen by The Sunday Telegraph shows Mr Shorten’s popularity has slumped to its lowest result since the campaign began.

The Liberal Party has been buoyed by the latest poll ­results, taken in the past week after Mr Shorten succumbed to party pressure and backed down on his promise to reverse tax cuts for medium-sized businesses.

Leader of the Opposition Bill Shorten’s popularity has declined, internal polling reveals. Picture: AAP Image/Mick Tsikas

The internal polling, which has been conducted regularly during the by-election campaigns, asks respondents whether they had a favourable or unfavourable impression of the Labor leader.

In the crucial Tasmanian seat of Braddon, he has recor­ded a net favourability rating of minus 45.

Ousted Labor MP Justine Keay, who resigned from parliament over dual-citizenship, is fighting to hold the northwest Tasmanian electorate, which has changed hands five times since 2004. In the ultra-marginal Queensland seat of Longman, pollsters found Mr Shorten’s net favourability was minus 27.

Mr Shorten recorded his worst personal result in the South Australian seat of Mayo, where Centre Alliance’s Rebekha Sharkie is expected to hold her seat despite the Liberals running Georgina Downer, the daughter of former foreign minister Alexander Downer.

Georgina Downer, the Liberal candidate for Mayo. the electorate which recorded the worst poll results for Bill Shorten. Picture: AAP Image/David Mariuz

With Labor never having held Mayo, Labor MPs said they weren’t concerned that Mr Shorten returned a favourability rating of minus 27.

But he returned an unprecedented rating of minus 77 among young female voters in Mayo, those aged under 35.

The leaked results are consistent with the latest Newspoll result, released last Monday, which revealed the Labor ­leader’s approval rating had fallen to its equal-lowest level in more than a year after he was rolled by his shadow cabinet on company tax.

The disastrous polling comes as Labor leadership ­tensions continue to simmer following a speech by frontbencher Anthony Albanese that challenged Mr Shorten’s anti-business approach.

One Labor frontbencher said the result wasn’t surprising given Labor’s disastrous final fortnight in Canberra.

Originally published as Bill Shorten’s popularity declines ahead of key by-elections