Shock new poll: Australian voters say Anthony Albanese is ‘no help’ with cost of living

More than 80 per cent of Australians believe the Albanese government has failed to address the cost of living crisis – and it is only going to get worse, a new poll shows.

More than half of Australians believe the country is headed in the wrong direction, two-thirds of voters expect no budgetary relief in the next six months and 80 per cent say the Albanese government has failed to address the cost of living crisis.

Exclusive new Freshwater Strategy polling for The Sunday Telegraph shows voters from across the spectrum are dissatisfied with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s cost of living response, including 64 per cent of Labor supporters, nine in ten Coalition voters and 86 per cent of Greens voters.

An overwhelming majority not only doubt his election promise to deliver on energy price relief but half also believe that they are going to be slugged with even higher power prices.

This includes 85 per cent of Coalition voters, 61 per cent Greens and 43 per cent of Labor voters saying they don’t accept the Albanese election promise to cut power bills by $275 a year.

More than half of voters say the Government’s energy target to achieve 82 per cent renewables by 2030 will lead to higher costs, while just 16 per cent think it will bring their bills down.

A year ago, voters expressed a lot of faith in Anthony Albanese but it has now largely vanished. Picture: NCA NewsWire

The major parties are even in the two-party preferred vote at 50 per cent, with Labor down two points from 2022 and the Coalition up five points.

While the continuing fallout from the failed Voice to Parliament referendum has seen Mr Albanese’s personal popularity plummet from 2022’s post-election high, he remains preferred prime minister over Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, at 47 per cent to 38 per cent.

However, more Australians have an unfavourable opinion of him (43 per cent to 40 per cent against Dutton).

The national online polling of more than 1000 voters was conducted last week by Freshwater Strategy, and showed an overwhelming majority (71 per cent) of Australians considered the cost of living their most important issue, followed by housing (41 per cent).

Groceries, housing, energy, interest rates and transport costs comprise their most pressing cost of living concerns.

Freshwater’s Dr Michael Turner said: “There is absolutely no faith that the government is likely to deliver on the promises that have been made on cost of living relief.”

“This time last year he was riding pretty high in the polls in terms of his likability and in terms of voter intentions and now he has neither of those.”

And the renewable push being led by Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen was deeply unpopular with all voters in the polling,

“The more rhetoric coming out from the government to push it harder and faster on renewables, the more voters think that this is going to cost them more,” he said.

“The one silver lining for Albanese is that, in the choice between him and Dutton, he is still ahead but after the last election he was about 26 points ahead and now it’s down to about 9 points.

“He’s squandered his connection with voters.”

Zabaiullah Haidary and his wife Maryam with their children (from left) Freshta, 13, Pakeeza 11, Ellaha, 20, Haroun, 22, and Behishta, 16, in Penrith. Picture: David Swift

Father of five Zabaiullah Haidary said the PM’s efforts to bring down the cost of living “mean nothing”.

“They are tricking you, they give you a little bit to make you calm down. But basically, it means nothing,” the handyman from Campbelltown said.

A spokesperson said the federal government was working to provide responsible cost of living relief and had introduced a range of measures including the announcement last week of a review into the food and grocery code of conduct to probe potential supermaket price gouging.

“We know a lot of people are doing it tough,” the spokesperson said.

“That’s why we’re continuing to deliver responsible, targeted cost of living relief without adding to inflation.”

Originally published as Shock new poll: Australian voters say Anthony Albanese is ‘no help’ with cost of living