Labor gains on the Coalition for the first time since May election
Labor looks set to close the gap on the Coalition in a turnaround that has put Opposition leader Anthony Albanese on firm footing with Scott Morrison.
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For the first time since the May federal election, Labor’s approval has significantly encroached on the Coalition with Opposition leader Anthony Albanese’s approval rating enjoying a dramatic improvement, according to the latest Newspoll conducted by The Australian.
In the exclusive Newspoll, conducted between Thursday and Sunday, the major parties tied 50-50 over the two-party-preferred vote.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison faced challenges posed by Australia’s potentially stalled economy and the country’s significant drought.
The Morrison Government has also faced criticism over its handling of the rural sector despite its release of a $1 billion drought relief package to help farmers.
Meanwhile, Labor’s approval has improved, even though findings for its shock election loss were made public in a report.
In that review, blame was laid at the feet of former Opposition leader Bill Shorten, as well as a malaise within the internal operations of the party.
But despite those findings the latest poll showed satisfaction ratings for the new Opposition leader have risen to a high of 42 per cent while Labor’s primary vote is 35 per cent, up two points.
Speaking out for the first time since the report into Labor’s election loss, Mr Albanese pledged to repair his party’s “moral fabric” and lead it to win the next election.
The damning report, which found Labor’s former leader to be “unpopular” and its policy agenda “cluttered” was addressed by Albanese who saw a distinct improvement in his numbers after responding to the report.
Mr Albanese’s satisfaction ratings saw a 12-point reversal to 42 per cent while Labor’s primary vote rose to 33 per cent.
Mr Morrison still leads Mr Albanese as preferred prime minister, with his satisfaction rating dropping just one point to 46 per cent.
But the Coalition’s primary vote dipped to 40 per cent, down two points, and its lowest level since before the May election.
The Newspoll, the sixth since the election, showed good news for Pauline Hanson with One Nation seeing a rise in support to 7 per cent, substantial gains on 3.1 per cent in the election.
The Greens fell one point to 12 per cent but are ahead of their election result of 10.4 per cent.
— with The Australian