Newspoll: Malcolm Turnbull leads Bill Shorten by largest margin since 2016

PRIME minister Malcolm Turnbull might be pleased with the latest Newspoll results, but the same can’t be said for the rest of his party.

MALCOLM Turnbull has opened the gap between him and Labor leader Bill Shorten by the largest margin in more than two years.

Turnbull solidified his position in the latest Newspoll conducted for The Australian, extending his lead over Shorten by four points.

The gap between the two leaders has now blown out to 19 points, with Turnbull at 48 per cent and Shorten at 29 per cent. The last time the Prime Minister held a lead of this size was in May 2016, two months before the 2016 election.

The Turnbull government recently announced controversial changes to the GST carve, with Treasurer Scott Morrison saying it will be fairer for the states and territories. Picture: Gary Ramage

But while Turnbull is ahead in the preferred PM stakes, his party still trails Labor 51/49 on a two-party preferred basis.

This marks a 36 poll losing streak for the Coalition under Turnbull’s leadership, according to The Australian, and comes on the back of the Turnbull government this month revealing a radical overhaul of how we carve up the GST revenue pie.

This could also explain why satisfaction with Turnbull’s performance fell by a point to 41 per cent in the latest Newspoll, while those dissatisfied rose one point to 49 per cent.

Satisfaction with Shorten’s performance as leader of the opposition, on the other hand, improved slightly. Those dissatisfied with him fell a point to 56 per cent while those happy with his performance remained steady at 32 per cent.

While Labor leader Bill Shorten trails Malcolm Turnbull in the preferred PM stakes, satisfaction with performance improved slightly. Picture: Chris Kidd

Primary support for both major parties fell by a percentage point, with the coalition now on 38 per cent and Labor on 36 per cent.

The Greens had 10 per cent support, and One Nation seven per cent. The poll contacted 1644 voters around the country from July 12 to 15, as the government addressed controversial changes to the GST and efforts to cut power bills.

The government has been unable to draw level with Labor since just after the 2016 election when Mr Turnbull won government with a tiny majority. But Labor and the Liberals are fighting in two close by-elections in Queensland and Tasmania that could point to Mr Turnbull or Mr Shorten’s electoral futures.