Coalition drops further in latest Newspoll as Federal Election looms

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton is facing an uphill battle to the May 3 election, with new polling showing a fresh drop in the Coalition’s primary vote.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has fallen further out of favour with Australians, with the Coalition’s primary vote dropping once again according to the latest Newspoll.

Released by the Australian on Sunday night, the second Newspoll of the campaign revealed Labor has held a national two-party-preferred lead of 52-48, with the Coalition’s primary vote support falling a point to 35 per cent.

The figure is now lower than the Coalition’s primary vote before losing the 2022 election.

It marks the third consecutive poll to record a decline in the Coalition’s primary vote, which was at 40 per cent in November.

The latest Newspoll is not good news for the Coalition. Picture: Richard Dobson / NewsWire

Support for Peter Dutton as leader has also declined, with his approval the lowest for an opposition leader during a campaign since Bill Shorten.

The poll also revealed a majority of voters expect a hung parliament after the May 3 election, with 43 per cent of voters expecting a minority Labor government.

Pauline Hanson’s One Nation primary vote gained a point with voters, while the Greens and the Teals remained unchanged.

The survey was conducted for The Australian between April 7 and April 10, with 1271 voters interviewed online across the nation.

Aussies swing toward Labor

The fading hopes for the Coalition are a major turnaround from predictions at the start of the year.

In January, Sportsbet had a Coalition win at $1.61 with Labor at $2.25.

But as of Sunday, the money markets now have a Labor victory at $1.31 with a Coalition win at $3.55.

Last month, a TAB spokesperson told news.com.au there had been a “betting plunge on Labor” in the lead-up and aftermath of the budget.

“Punters are growing more and more confident of Labor retaining government,” the spokesperson said.

“Labor is now clear favourite to win the election for the first time since November.

“The coalition had held favouritism for the last 5 months, but that has all changed this week. “70 per cent of bets since the budget have been for the Labor Party. It’s the shortest price Labor have been since October last year.

“Peter Dutton was the firm favourite to become Prime Minister, but the markets have moved substantially after a bumpy month.”

Leaders launch official campaigns

The latest Newspoll comes after both leaders launched their official campaigns on Sunday.

The Prime Minister addressed about 500 party supporters at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre on Sunday afternoon, while Mr Dutton held his official launch party at the Liverpool Catholic Centre in Western Sydney.

Mr Dutton with wife Kirilly Dutton at the campaign launch on Sunday. Picture: Richard Dobson / NewsWire

During his re-election pitch, Mr Albanese announced a controversial new $1000 instant tax deduction.

Mr Albanese said the new tax deduction would “guarantee everyone can opt for an automatic tax deduction of $1000 on their work expenses” at tax time.

“No paperwork, no box of receipts, no scrolling through your online banking – just tick the box and your return is ready,” Mr Albanese said.

“Every year, millions of people who work part-time, or work from home, or don’t have an accountant to navigate the tax system for them miss out on claiming deductions they are entitled to and pay more tax than they should.

“This reform fixes that – and it fixes it forever.”

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on the campaign trail in WA with son Nathan and fiancee Jodie Haydon. Picture: Jason Edwards / NewsWire

In Western Sydney, Mr Dutton went for the opposite tone, declaring he would slash $100 billion in spending if elected, made up of undisclosed “ineffectual” measures brought in by the Labor government.

Mr Dutton also vowed to “abolish” Labor’s super tax which would hit people with accounts of more than $3m, and promised there would be “no increase to capital gains tax,” no inheritance tax, and “no changes to negative gearing”.

Originally published as Coalition drops further in latest Newspoll as Federal Election looms