Anthony Albanese and Labor lose ground to Coalition and Peter Dutton after Voice vote

The fallout from the referendum defeat has damaged Anthony Albanese’s approval ratings as the Coalition gained support.

Anthony Albanese’s approval ratings have suffered a sharp drop following the defeat of the Voice referendum and ongoing cost of living issues.

The gap between Labor and the Coalition is at its tightest since the 2022 election, a Newspoll conducted for The Australian shows.

Just 10 points separate the prime minister and Peter Dutton.

The Coalition now leads Labor on the primary vote, 37 per cent to 35 per cent, a two-point gain for the Liberal/Nationals parties in the past three weeks and a one-point fall for the government.

Anthony Albanese speaks during the opening ceremony of the 6th China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai. Picture: AFP

Labor’s lead over the opposition has dropped from 54/46 to 52/48 per cent.

The Newspoll is the first to measure the impact of the defeated Voice referendum on the two-party-preferred contest.

Mr Albanese has fallen below 50 per cent for the first time in the contest over who voters think would make a better prime minister, dropping five points to 46 per cent.

Adding to the wake of the Voice failure are rising international tensions over Israel-Palestine, and the prime minister’s visits to the US and China, as cost-of-living concerns persist.

Peter Dutton speaking at State Council at Eatons Hill Hotel near Brisbane. Picture: Steve Pohlner

The poll shows Mr Albanese dropping four points in approval for his performance to 42 per cent.

This is the lowest level for the prime minister since the election.

Dissatisfaction with his performance rose six points to 52 per cent giving him a net negative satisfaction rating of minus 10, the worst result since he was opposition leader.

Mr Dutton has a two-point rise in satisfaction to 37 per cent with his role as opposition leader.

More people are still also undecided about Mr Dutton – 13 per cent – compared to 6 per cent for Mr Albanese.

The primary vote split between Labor and the Coalition is the equal highest lead since the election.

Labor’s primary vote, however, still remains above the 32.6 per cent it recorded at the May 2022 election and which delivered it victory.

The Coalition’s primary vote is also ahead of its election result of 35.7 per cent, which was its worst result on record.

However, on a two-party preferred split of 52/48 per cent, Labor would be on track to repeat its 2022 election victory with no net loss or gain of seats.

Originally published as Anthony Albanese and Labor lose ground to Coalition and Peter Dutton after Voice vote