Newspoll: Gap closes on lifting coronavirus restrictions

A slim majority of Australians still backs state government-imposed restrictions to stop the spread of Covid-19.

Support for NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian’s handling of the pandemic has fallen dramatically. Picture: Jeremy Piper

A slim majority of Australians still backs state government-imposed restrictions to stop the spread of Covid-19 amid a narrowing of the gap with those who say they should be lifted for the sake of preserving jobs, the economy and mental health.

Support for NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian’s handling of the pandemic has fallen dramatically, while Victorians still strongly back Premier Daniel ­Andrews’s management of the Delta crisis.

An exclusive Newspoll for The Australian shows 53 per cent of voters remain concerned about governments moving too quickly to lift restrictions at the risk of spreading the virus through the community.

But as the country moves to reaching full vaccination among those eligible by November, 42 per cent of voters now say they are more concerned about moving too slowly to lift restrictions and the impacts that will have on jobs, the economy and people’s mental wellbeing.

Opinion over Covid-19 restrictions has shifted markedly since the height of the pandemic in May last year when 72 per cent of voters claimed to be more concerned about moving too quickly to open up compared to 24 per cent who maintained an opposing view.

Daniel Andrews has had a slight increase in support for his management of the pandemic. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

However, they are at similar levels to those recorded last Oct­ober when the Andrews government plunged Victoria into a 112-day lockdown during the second wave outbreak.

Voters in NSW, Victoria and Queensland still broadly support the actions of their premiers in managing the pandemic but at lower levels than those at the height of the first wave last year.

Confidence in Scott Morrison’s handling of the pandemic has also fallen sharply, with the community now deeply divided over his management of the crisis.

Ms Berejiklian, who was ­accused of moving too slowly to impose lockdowns at the start of the NSW Delta outbreak, has ­suffered the most significant fall in support among the east coast premiers in the handling of the crisis.

 

While 56 per cent of voters say the Liberal Premier was still ­managing the pandemic well, 41 per cent said she was handling it badly.

This is a significant turnaround from the height of her support in June last year when 79 per cent said she was doing a good job compared to 16 per cent claiming otherwise.

This has also fed into a fall in satisfaction more generally with Ms Berejiklian, whose net ­approval ratings have dropped from plus 34 per cent in July last year to 16 per cent in the latest survey.

Mr Andrews has had a slight increase in support for his management of the pandemic despite Victoria enduring the longest lockdowns in the past 18 months.

A total of 63 per cent of voters agreed that the Victorian Labor leader was handling the pandemic well compared with 35 per cent saying he had handled it badly.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk. Picture: Cody Fox

This was in line with the same level of support in September last year during the peak of the ­second-wave lockdown in Victoria but well down on the height of his popularity in April last year when 85 per cent of voters backed his performance.

Satisfaction with Mr Andrews’s performance as leader more generally has maintained strong levels compared to the same time last year, with a two-point rise in satisfaction to 64 per cent, with his dissatisfaction rating remaining stable at 35 per cent.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has also maintained strong support for management of Covid-19, with 67 per cent of voters saying she was doing well compared to 31 per cent believing she was handling it badly.

 

This was in line with the level of support she enjoyed at the same time last year but down on a peak of 81 per cent to 14 per cent in July last year.

The Queensland Labor leader has experienced a fall in support for her leadership more generally, with a drop in net approval ratings of plus 35 per cent in July last year to plus 19 in the latest poll.

Support for the Prime Minister’s handling of the pandemic was highest in Queensland at 61 per cent, compared with 47 per cent in NSW and 40 per cent in Victoria where Mr Morrison was in net negative territory.

Concerns about moving too quickly from lockdown was strongest among Greens voters – 63 per cent – and Labor voters – 61 per cent – compared to 46 per cent of Coalition voters.

Confidence in Scott Morrison’s handling of the pandemic has fallen sharply. Picture: Flavio Brancaleone