New poll finds half of Australian voters know little about Anthony Albanese

Anthony Albanese is hoping to replace Scott Morrison but a fresh poll has laid bare a huge issue which could scuttle the Labor leader’s plans.

Anthony Albanese faces an uphill battle after an election-eve poll suggested over half of voters knew little about the Labor leader.

According to Ogilvy PR’s Believability Index, which surveyed 1000 voters, Mr Albanese’s believability rating has risen to 48, two points higher than three years ago.

But it’s not all smooth sailing for the Labor leader as 54 per cent of respondents said they knew little about him and he has name recognition issues with younger Australians.

Another 15 per cent conceded they had never heard of him.

Scott Morrison lashed out at the Labor leader on Thursday for failing to define himself with voters.

“Anthony Albanese is a blank page. He is not a small target, he is a complete blank page,” he told reporters on the Central Coast.

“At a time of great uncertainty, considerable uncertainty, not just in the economy but also in terms of national security, a blank page is no answer to the problems that Australians face.”

But the poll suggests voters still know little about Mr Albanese. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

However, the Prime Minister is facing his own problems ahead of the election.

Mr Morrison’s believability rating dropped two points to 41 with the poll suggesting he was less popular with regional voters and women.

More than one in three voters said Mr Morrison was out of touch and he lacked authenticity, commitment, integrity and ­purpose.

Cost of living remains front of mind of voters ahead of the election, followed by housing affordability and the economy.

The poll’s release followed a brutal exchange between the Prime Minister and angry locals in a Newcastle pub on Wednesday evening – including one who called him the “worst PM ever”.

The most recent Newspoll indicated the government’s cost-of-living budget failed to produce the bounce of support the Coalition had hoped for on the eve of the election.

Scott Morrison faces a fresh blow on the eve of the election. Picture: Damian Shaw

Among state premiers, the West Australian Premier Mark McGowan was crowned the most believable (48) with Victoria’s Daniel Andrews and Queensland’s ­Annastacia Palaszczuk just a point behind.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet was the least believable of the four premiers included in the survey, but still ahead of his federal counterpart at 44.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg (44), Greens Leader Adam Bandt (47) and former NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian (47) also outscored the Prime Minister.

Despite a major fall, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern remained the most believable leader internationally (66) followed by US President Joe Biden (46).