Newspoll: Voters unhappy with Jacinta Allan, unsure about Liberals as Labor clings to lead

A majority of Victorians have cooled on Labor and Premier Jacinta Allan, but a dysfunctional Liberal Party has not gained the trust of voters, according to the latest Newspoll.

Most Victorians don’t aren’t all that keen on re-electing Labor but they don’t see the Liberals as a fit alternative, according to an exclusive Newspoll conducted for The Australian.

The results show Labor hanging on to a 53-47 per cent lead over the Liberal-National Party Coalition, but the majority of voters (59 per cent) would not re-elect Labor given their dissatisfaction with Premier Jacinta Allan.

In bad news for the Premier, 61 per cent of voters are unhappy with her leadership and just 25 per cent of voters said Labor deserved to win the state election on November 28, 2026.

Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Brad ­Battin has a 41-36 per cent lead in the critical better premier stakes, according to the survey.

However, 60 per cent of voters say they are not confident the opposition, marred by the John Pesutto and Moira Deeming defamation case, is ready to govern the state - including a substantial 23 per cent of Liberal ­voters.

John Pessuto during Victorian parliament Question time. Picture: NewsWire/Nadir Kinani

Moira Deeming after being accepted back into the Liberal Party. Picture: NewsWire / Andrew Henshaw

Newspoll chief Campbell White told The Australian, “This poll is a pox on both your houses. However, while there is a swing it is relatively modest and not sufficient for the government to change,” Mr White said.

The Newspoll survey reveals 20 per cent of Labor voters said they didn’t think the government deserved a fourth term, while 24 per cent of Labor voters believe it is time to give another party a go at running the state.

The poll shows Labor’s weakening support among its own voters is evenly split between men (61 per cent) and women (58 per cent).

Women are marginally more critical than men about the Liberal Party’s capacity to govern (62 per cent vs. 58 per cent).

While Mr Battin has a five-point lead on the question of who would make the better premier, 40 per cent of voters are dissatisfied with him, 35 per cent are satisfied and 25 per cent are uncommitted. A significant 23 per cent of voters reported they were undecided, giving both leaders a chance in the next 18 months to win them over.

Leader of the Victorian Opposition, Brad Battin. Picture: NewsWire / Nadir Kinani

Premier Jacinta Allan attended LS Precast in Benalla on July 4 to announce a contract about supply concrete for the Suburban Rail Loop. Picture: Supplied

Most voters aged between 50 and 64 said it was time to ditch the Allan government and give another party a go (63 per cent). This increased to 72 per cent among those aged 65 and over.

But despite waning support for the Premier, the Allan government’s 53-47 per cent two-party-preferred lead is just two points down on its 2022 election victory, meaning Mr Battin’s Coalition would fall short of the 16 seats required to claim government on November 28, 2026.

“The most problematic number for the Coalition is that just 40 per cent of voters are confident they are ready to govern Victoria. The only group where a majority are confident is voters aged 65 plus,” Mr White said.

Regional Victorians were more strongly anti-government, with 62 per cent supporting a change in leadership compared with 58 per cent of Melbourne voters.

In primary-vote terms, both Labor and the Coalition are on 35 per cent, with support for the Greens at 12 per cent, and 18 per cent of voters leaning towards an independent candidate.