Newspoll: Labor in front but Scott Morrison builds lead over Anthony Albanese as preferred PM

Scott Morrison has extended his lead over Anthony Albanese as the preferred PM despite a fall in his approval ratings in the latest Newspoll.

Scott Morrison has improved his standing as preferred prime minister, but Labor still leads the Coalition 53-47 on a two-party-preferred basis in Newspoll. Picture: Tim Hunter.

Scott Morrison has extended his lead over Anthony Albanese as the preferred prime minister despite a fall in his approval ratings following a period dominated by concerns over the security pact between China and Solomon Islands.

The further swing toward Mr Morrison in the head-to-head contest comes amid a slight electoral gain for both Labor and the Coalition, which have recovered ground against the record levels of support for minor parties and independents.

An exclusive Newspoll conducted for The Australian, bookending the second week of the election campaign, shows Labor leading the Coalition 53-47 on a two-party-preferred basis, consistent with the results of the last two Newspoll surveys.

Based on this poll, Labor would secure majority government.

The poll shows popular support for the Coalition lifting a point to 36 per cent.

Labor has also stabilised from recent falls in support, gaining a point to 37 per cent.

The small lift for both major parties has come at the expense of both left- and right-wing minor parties, with the Greens falling a point to 11 per cent and Pauline Hanson’s One Nation also falling a point to 3 per cent.

Clive Palmer’s United Australia Party remained steady at 4 per cent while support for other minor parties and independent candidates was unchanged on 9 per cent.

In the main contest between the two leaders, Mr Morrison has increased the margin over his Labor rival as the preferred prime minister for the second week in a row.

With Mr Albanese suffering a calamitous first week on the campaign trail, before being forced into home isolation late last week after contracting Covid-19, the Labor leader now trails Mr Morrison by nine points.

This puts Mr Morrison in the strongest position this year on this measure, with a two-point rise to 46 per cent compared with Mr Albanese unchanged on 37 per cent.

Mr Morrison now enjoys a similar lead to that which he held over Bill Shorten at the same point during the 2019 election, which resulted in a surprise Labor loss.

The broadening of the gap between the two leaders came despite a three-point decline in the Prime Minister’s net approval rating.

Mr Morrison’s approval fell a point to 42 per cent while dissatisfaction with his performance rose two points to 54 per cent.

After last week recording his lowest approval ratings since becoming leader, Mr Albanese lifted a point to 38 per cent while his dissatisfaction rating fell a point to 50 per cent.

Both leaders are now on a net negative satisfaction level of minus 12. The poll covered a week dominated by national security and defence, with both sides coming under pressure over the Solomons deal with China, which security analysts warned could lead to Chinese bases being established in the South Pacific and only 2000km from Australian shores.

Labor accused the Coalition of presiding over a foreign policy “blunder”.

Mr Morrison, however, has used the controversy as a platform to continue his accusation that Labor had a soft position when it came to the China issue.

The Newspoll survey period also included the first leaders debate of the campaign, hosted by Sky News last Wednesday, during which Mr Albanese faltered over Labor’s border protection policies.

This Newspoll was conducted between April 20 and 23, with 1538 voters interviewed online.

It has a maximum margin of error of plus or minus 2.9 per cent.