Annastacia Palaszczuk’s standing as preferred premier sinks to lowest level since she took up top job

Exclusive poll results reveal the LNP is in prime position ahead of the looming election, achieving a first since David Crisafulli assumed the leadership.

Annastacia Palaszczuk’s standing as preferred premier has sunk to its lowest level since she took up the top job, as explosive new polling reveals the LNP is in the box seat to take out next year’s election.

And in a major political headache for the Premier, almost half voters believe Queensland is heading in the wrong direction – putting Labor on the back foot as it vies for a historic fourth term.

More voters also believe an LNP government led by David Crisafulli would do better than Labor at handling the crucial vote winning issues of cost of living, youth crime, and even health.

The exclusive polling conducted by YouGov for The Courier-Mail reveals Ms Palaszczuk’s standing as better premier is now worse than both Campbell Newman and Anna Bligh before their falls from power.

As she surpasses eight years leading the state, only 31 per cent of voters prefer Ms Palaszczuk as premier compared to 29 per cent for Mr Crisafulli – while a significant 40 per cent are uncommitted.

The result is Ms Palaszczuk’s worst since taking office in 2015, and is a massive seven point slump from the 39 per cent she recorded in December’s YouGov poll.

Mr Newman’s standing never fell that low during his time as premier, and was sitting at 45 per cent – compared to Ms Palaszczuk’s then-support of 40 per cent – ahead of his 2015 election loss.

POLL RESULTS

• REVEALED:The No. 1 issue Queenslanders most concerned about
• SLAMMED:Shocking lack of faith in state’s health system
• EDITOR’S VIEW: Trusted poll must be a wake-up call

And Ms Bligh’s better premier rating was standing at 43 per cent before Labor’s wipe-out in 2012.

The result will raise eyebrows among Labor circles, with the Premier vowing to lead her party to next year’s state election as she refuses to back anyone to succeed her as Queensland Labor leader.

Ms Palaszczuk’s status as better premier had reached as high as 48 per cent ahead of the 2020 state poll when her government was in the midst of responding to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Mr Crisafulli’s 29 per cent score as better premier is a one point jump from December’s result, but it is well short of the 40 per cent Ms Palaszczuk was sitting on when she toppled Mr Newman in 2015.

Labor’s primary vote meanwhile has fallen one point to 33 per cent, while the LNP has jumped one point to 39 per cent – with the Greens staying stable at 13 per cent.

When it comes to the two-party preferred contest, this translates to an LNP lead over Labor of 51-49 per cent.

It is the first time the opposition has taken the lead in YouGov’s poll since Mr Crisafulli assumed the LNP leadership following the party’s 2020 state election drubbing.

And the 39 per cent primary vote is the party’s strongest result since 2016, when the Palaszczuk government was in its first term in power.

It puts the LNP in prime position ahead of the looming October 2024 state election, where voters will cast their judgment on the first ever fixed four year term of government.

The uplift in support for the LNP comes amid a big drop in the number of Queenslanders who believe the state is heading in the right direction.

Amid a backdrop of increasing cost of living as well as the ramped up pressure Labor is facing on youth crime and health, 47 per cent of voters believe the state is heading in the “wrong direction”.

Only 31 per cent of respondents believe Queensland is heading in the “right direction”, in what is an alarming result for Labor and a telltale sign of how voters feel about the government.

It means the net result is sitting at minus 16 per cent, which is the Palaszczuk government’s lowest result ever – and even lower than any result under Mr Newman or in the final year of the Bligh government.

The last time the right direction result was this low was in January/February 2020 before the Covid-19 pandemic set in.

In what will likely worry the Palaszczuk government caucus, the polling also reveals how more voters trust the LNP with health over Labor – who often make the issue a central pillar of their agenda.

Exactly 26 per cent of voters said an LNP government led by Mr Crisafulli would be better at handling hospitals and ambulances compared to 22 per cent under a Labor government led by Ms Palaszczuk.

Another 16 per cent said both parties were equal, 18 per cent indicated neither, while 18 per cent said they did not know.

When it comes to youth crime, which the government has come under constant pressure over in recent months, only 16 per cent believe Labor is better at handling the issue.

In comparison, almost double the number of voters – or 31 per cent – believe an LNP government led by Mr Crisafulli would do a better job addressing youth crime.

On the crucial issue of cost of living, the LNP again came out on top – with 27 per cent saying an LNP government led by Mr Crisafulli would be better at handling the issue compared to 20 per cent for Labor.

The government has flagged that it would make cost of living a key issue in its upcoming budget, after inflation in Brisbane surged by 7.7 per cent in 2022.

According to the poll, more voters blame Ms Palaszczuk’s government for the cost of living situation than Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Albanese federal government, and even the big supermarkets.

The number one factor voters blamed for cost of living was global economic conditions, followed by the Reserve Bank.

The poll of 1,015 voters was conducted by YouGov between March 30 and April 5.