Newspoll: Scott Morrison takes lead as preferred prime minister

The stalemate for preferred prime minister has been broken as the contest between the Coalition and Labor tightens to its narrowest margin.

The contest between the Coalition and Labor has tightened to its narrowest margin this year with Scott Morrison leading Anthony Albanese as the preferred prime minister amid a drop in support for Labor.

An exclusive Newspoll conducted for The Australian on the eve of the federal election campaign shows Labor’s primary vote at its lowest level since October last year, dropping another point to 37 per cent.

However, Labor remains in poll position at the start of the campaign with the Coalition’s primary vote on a low of 36 per cent.

The shift in support for Labor has resulted in a one-point gain for the Coalition on a two-party-preferred basis with Labor ahead 53-47.

Support for Prime Minister Scott Morrison as preferred prime minister has risen. Picture: Jason Edwards

However, theoretically if the swing against the Coalition was applied across all 151 lower-house seats, it could mean the loss of 10 lower house seats in the parliament.

The government will need to make up at least four points during the campaign to win.

In the battle between the two leaders, Mr Morrison has pulled ahead of Mr Albanese as preferred prime minister, breaking the stalemate between the two leaders.

Mr Albanese fell three points to 39 per cent while Mr Morrison rose a point to 44 per cent, giving the Prime Minister his biggest lead since February.

Mr Morrison’s personal approval ratings remained unchanged with 42 per cent of voters saying they were satisfied with his performance compared with 54 per cent saying they were ­dissatisfied.

Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese’s approval rating has dropped. Picture: Flavio Brancaleone

Mr Albanese’s approval rating fell for the second consecutive time with a one-point drop to 42 among those satisfied and a one-point rise to 45 per cent among those dissatisfied.

A total of 13 per cent were still undecided about the Opposition Leader.

Support for minor parties and independents rose to 27 per cent – almost two points above the 2019 election result.

Support for Clive Palmer’s United Australia Party lifted to 4 per cent.

The Greens remain unchanged on 10 per cent, with One Nation level on 3 per cent and “others” recording 10 per cent for the third poll in a row.