Newspoll: Coalition lifts as support for Morrison rebounds

Support for the Coalition has recovered, returning to 2019 election levels amid a boost in popularity for Scott Morrison.

Satisfaction with Scott Morrison’s performance rose four points to 59 per cent Picture: Jeremy Piper

The Coalition has recovered critical electoral territory ahead of the May budget, with popular support for the government returning to its 2019 election levels amid a boost in popularity for Scott Morrison.

An exclusive Newspoll conducted for The Australian shows the Coalition still trailing Labor on the two-party-preferred count 49-51, with support for Labor remaining level.

However, it marks the second consecutive improvement for the Coalition over the past two polls and a rebound in approval ratings for the Prime Minister, who has moved to rescue the vaccine rollout while maintaining his position at a global climate summit last week that Australia would not adopt a mandated net zero 2050 emissions target.

It also comes as tensions flare once again between the commonwealth and the West Australian government over its snap lockdown and with Mr Morrison resisting calls from Labor Premier Mark McGowan for detention centres to be used for quarantine.

The Coalition’s primary vote lifted a point since the last poll, rising to 41 per cent after having hit as low as 39 per cent in mid-March at the height of the rape ­allegations that engulfed the gov­ern­ment and put Mr Morrison under pressure to address the systemic problem of the treatment of women.

At 41 per cent, the Liberal and Nationals parties maintain the same level of support that secured the 2019 election victory, but they still remain down on the averaged primary vote support over the past six months.

Labor’s primary vote remains unchanged at 38 per cent, with the opposition having secured 33.3 per cent at the last election.

The most significant shift in the latest Newspoll, however, has been a lift in approval for Mr Morrison, who last month suffered his worst one-time fall in ­approval ratings since the 2019-20 summer bushfire crisis.

Anthony Albanese has suffered a three-point drop in his satisfaction rankings to 40 per cent. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

Satisfaction with his performance rose four points to 59 per cent, against a drop in dissatisfaction of three points to 37 per cent. While restoring almost all the ground lost in March, Mr Morrison is still down on his average highs of mid-60s approval ratings.

Anthony Albanese has suffered a three-point drop in his satisfaction rankings to 40 per cent. With a two-point rise in dissatisfaction, the Labor leader has fallen to a net negative approval rating of minus three.

In the head-to-head contest, Mr Morrison also recovered ground as the better prime minister, lifting four points to 56 per cent while his rival fell two points to 30 per cent. This still remains down on his long-term average as the preferred prime minister.

The Greens lost a point to 10 per cent in line with their election result while Pauline Hanson’s One Nation recovered a point to 3 per cent.

The total vote for other minor parties and independents fell a point to 8 per cent.

The poll ends a torrid month for the government and Mr ­Morrison who has been forced to reshuffle his cabinet following the demotion of Christian Porter and Linda Reynolds and last week faced demands to apologise over the forced resignation of Australia Post chief executive Christine Holgate.

The poll was conducted between April 21 and April 24 and surveyed 1514 voters.