Blue collar workers deserting Anthony Albanese for Peter Dutton, poll reveals

Labor’s blue collar vote continues to collapse as it heads into a crucial by-election next year that will test Peter Dutton’s strategy to win government.

Labor’s blue collar vote continues to collapse as it heads into a crucial by-election next year that will test Peter Dutton’s strategy to win government.

The latest RedBridge poll has found a surge in support for the Coalition among voters with vocational and TAFE educations, with it now well ahead of Labor among tradies.

This shows Mr Dutton’s decision to ignore the affluent Teal seats and concentrate on outer suburban and regional seats appears to be paying dividends and comes ahead of the by-election in Dunkley, on the outskirts of Melbourne.

The poll also found only 30 per cent of voters think Labor is focused on the right priorities, with 53 per cent disagreeing.

Worryingly for Labor the percentage of voters who say Peter Dutton and the Coalition are not ready for government dipped below 50 per cent for the first time since the election.

Since August, Labor’s primary vote among voters with TAFE and vocational training educations has fallen from 36 per cent to 30 per cent.

Anthony Albanese visits the Cross River Rail construction site in Woolloongabba, Brisbane in 2012.

Peter Dutton visits the construction site for the Gold Coast Aquatic Centre, being built for the 2018 Commonwealth Games, back in 2013.

Worryingly for Labor these voters have not moved their support to the Greens or independents but have moved straight across to the Coalition whose primary vote has jumped from 29 to 39 per cent.

The blue collar exodus from Labor has seen the Government’s two-party preferred support with them drop from 57 down to 48 per cent and comes months before the by-election Dunkley which it holds by 6 per cent and where this group makes up 34 per cent of the electorate.

At 33 per cent Labor’s overall primary vote is now roughly back to where it was at last year’s federal election, while the Coalition’s 35 per cent is still well behind Scott Morrison’s 41.5 per cent.

Albanese is losing support in tradie strongholds.

Polls suggest blue collar workers are increasingly preferring Dutton’s priorities.

On a two-party preferred basis, however, the results are almost identical to last year’s election that Labor won 52.1 to 47.9 per cent.

The latest RedBridge polls also tested views on immigration, with 70 per cent agreeing Australian cities are already too crowded, and 44 per cent and 41 per cent saying immigrants are a burden on the social welfare system and take jobs from other Australians.

Only 8 per cent of voters believe immigration should be increased and 46 per cent would like to see cut.

RedBridge Director Tony Bary said the poll had worrying signs for Labor.

“A lot of the lead indicator numbers in our polling is moving away from Albanese and will start to drag his vote down if he doesn’t take strong remedial action,” he said.

“The Albanese Government’s capacity for navel gazing on issues that aren’t personally relevant to most voters is starting to become a big political problem.”

He said the other issue “is voters now readily recognise there is a housing supply and demand issue and they are making a link between that problem, supporting infrastructure and immigration levels.”

Originally published as Blue collar workers deserting Anthony Albanese for Peter Dutton, poll reveals