Negative numbers don’t spell defeat
Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton might both enter the election race with net negative approval ratings but this isn’t uncommon.
Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton might both enter the election race with net negative approval ratings but this isn’t uncommon.
This was always going to be a contest between who voters considered to be the least unattractive of two unappealing options. Newspoll suggests Dutton is now at risk.
Labor has begun the election campaign with a rise in support, despite voters ranking Jim Chalmers’ budget as the worst for the economy in a decade.
Contrary to the optimistic outlook presented by the Albanese government, everything we know about what the economy needs to be for Middle Australia is now at stake.
The notion that the Labor campaign machine is a superior outfit to that of the Liberals and Nationals is false, with Newspoll trends showing Labor going backwards in every campaign in the last seven elections.
Peter Dutton is attempting to force Anthony Albanese to fight on his terms and on his turf – the outer metropolitan suburbs.
How long do we roam aimlessly around the wilderness before the country gets back to valuing personal responsibility and aspiration above government hand-outs? We are about to find out.
Labor is now borrowing further from the future to buy an election, ignoring calls for spending control and delaying repair to the budget even further to achieve it.
Jim Chalmer’s message of optimism is likely to be tempered in Tuesday’s budget but its central theme will remain.
Primary vote support for Labor among women dropped below 30 per cent, with both Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton facing a crisis of confidence among female voters as they shift support to the Greens.
Original URL: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/author/simon-benson/page/7