New poll shows Labor storming ahead on Boothby, narrow lead in Sturt

Labor is on track for an emphatic victory in the key marginal electorate but new polling suggests more than one Liberal bastion will fall in SA.

Labor is poised to snatch at least two South Australian seats in the upcoming federal election, according to a stunning new poll that shows the party surging ahead in Boothby and Sturt.

The new poll, conducted one day after last week’s federal budget by left-wing think tank The Australia Institute, shows Labor has 57 per cent of the two-party preferred vote in Boothby, where the environment is shaping up as a crucial election issue.

According to the automated poll, 82 per cent of Boothby voters want an MP who “advocates strongly” for SA receiving its full 450GL environmental entitlement under the Murray Darling Basin Plan.

Three out of four voters also want oil drilling banned in the Great Australian Bight, and for the area to be given World Heritage protection.

Liberal candidate Rachel Swift’s office was vandalised in what she called an “extremist attack” by climate activists Extinction Rebellion last weekend.

Extinction Rebellion activists vandalised Liberal candidate Rachel Swift’s Boothby office. Picture: Facebook

This was despite Ms Swift vowing to be a “very strong” advocate for the Murray Darling Basin and promising to focus on climate change action in an interview with The Advertiser last November.

The poll suggests Liberal MP James Stevens’ eastern suburbs seat of Sturt will become another federal election battleground, as Labor pulls ahead with 52 per cent of the two-party preferred vote.

Sturt was expected to become a fresh target after former premier Steven Marshall suffered a damaging swing towards Labor, almost losing his seat of Dunstan in last month’s state election.

The environment will also be a key issue in Sturt, with three in four voters demanding a candidate who fights for SA’s share of water under the Murray Darling Basin plan.

Noah Schultz-Byard, the SA director of The Australia Institute, said the poll showed the Coalition would be “disappointed” if they were hoping for a post-budget bounce.

Labor’s candidate for Boothby is Louise Miller-Frost. Picture: Kelly Barnes

Just 32 per cent of voters in both Boothby and Sturt felt the state’s economy would be better off after last week’s federal budget.

The poll showed independent Boothby candidate Jo Dyer had just 7.5 per cent of first preference votes, compared with 34.3 per cent for Labor’s Louise Miller-Frost and 31.8 per cent for Dr Swift.

In Sturt, Labor candidate Sonja Baram polled 31 per cent of first preference votes to James Stevens’ 33.2 per cent.

But preferences from The Greens propelled Labor to a narrow lead in the electorate.

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Originally published as New poll shows Labor storming ahead on Boothby, narrow lead in Sturt