Internal party polling puts PM’s popularity ahead of Palaszczuk’s
While some might take the LNP’s Queensland election loss as an ominous sign for the Federal Government, sources close to Prime Minister Scott Morrison believe otherwise.
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There are no plans for an early federal election, despite internal polling for the Liberal Party showing Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s favourability rating is higher than even Annastacia Palaszczuk’s in some central and northern Queensland seats.
Queensland Labor’s third election victory in a row sparked questions on whether an early federal election was on the cards.
But the Prime Minister’s office reiterated his comments from two weeks ago that he will be a “full-termer”, while sources close to the Prime Minister say people should next expect an election until 2022.
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There are also warnings from within the LNP that they have to be wary of an ALP shift to the right to win back the “ high-vis vote”, while Labor figures said the results showed the importance of a jobs plan for the regions.
Labor frontbencher Terri Butler said the Prime Minister’s trip to the state during the election had failed because Queenslanders don’t like being told “how to suck eggs”.
Queensland senator Murray Watt said Scott Morrison was “the Bob Brown for this election”, referencing the former Greens leader who lead an anti-Adani caravan into central Queensland which is attributed with boosting the LNP vote.
“He’s a bloke from down south who told us what to do and we told him to go jump,” Senator Watt said.
But internal polling for the Liberal Party taken while Mr Morrison was in Queensland showed he had a 61 per cent favourability rating in the state seat of Mundingburra, double Anthony Albanese’s 30 per cent and higher than Ms Palaszczuk at 49 per cent.
The same polling in Keppel had the Prime Minister at 70 per cent, Mr Albanese at 26 per cent and the Premier on 52 per cent.
Mr Albanese did not come to the state during the election period.
Some government sources remain confident, saying the election results show voters are backing incumbent governments and strong leaders, while a Labor state government provides a counterbalance to a Coalition Federal Government.
One LNP source said the party failed to fully appreciate how much Labor succeeded in shifting to the right.
They noted the increased margins many regional LNP federal seats secured in 2019 were inflated by preferences and not an increase in the primary vote.
“The high-vis is colour blind, they don’t vote red or blue. We can’t be complacent and think they are somehow with us,” they said.
A Labor source said the Greens strong showing in the city was a threat to both major parties, particularly in Griffith and Brisbane.
