Newspoll: Scott Morrison’s numbers dip as voters back premiers’ rights

Scott Morrison’s support has fallen for the first time since the height of the pandemic as voters endorse premiers on borders.

The slide in support for Scott Morrison and the Coalition comes on the back of universal backing among voters for the premiers’ right to close borders. Picture: Sean Davey

Popular support for Scott Morrison has fallen for the first time since the height of the pandemic as he takes on the states over their refusal to budge on border closures that are holding back the national economic recovery.

An exclusive Newspoll conducted for The Australians shows the federal political contest tightening between the two major parties, with Labor recovering ground to post its highest primary vote since April and levelling the political playing field with the Coalition.

The two major parties are now deadlocked 50:50 on a two-party-preferred basis, marking a four-point turnaround in Labor’s favour over the past three weeks.

The slide in support for the Prime Minister and the Coalition comes on the back of universal and overwhelming support among voters for the premiers’ right to close borders and restrict entry if and when outbreaks occur.

A special poll conducted for The Australian shows 80 per cent of Australians support border ­closures if the health situation demands it.

The results reveal the difficulty for the federal government as it faces off with the states, with the exception of NSW, which it has been blaming for holding back the national economic recovery.

The significant shift comes as Mr Morrison’s frustration with the Queensland government grows after the death of an unborn twin whose NSW mother was refused entry to Queensland for emergency surgery.

It also follows the move by Mr Morrison to take ownership of the aged-care crisis in Victoria, which was sparked by the Andrews government’s quarantine failure that sparked the second wave outbreak and the economic shutdown of the state.

People in the hard border closure states of Queensland and Western Australia were the strongest in their support for the premiers’ right to keep their states locked down.

However, Victorians who remain in stage-four lockdown were the least enthusiastic, with the ­lowest support for their border closure.

The loudest voices were in South Australia, with 92 per cent backing their right to refuse entry to other Australians, followed by WA on 91 per cent and Queensland on 84 per cent.

A significant majority, 74 per cent, of Victorians backed their leader and 76 per cent of voters in NSW also supported the right of Premier Gladys Berejiklian to put the fence up if needed.

Despite the level of support for state leaders’ rights to call the shots over COVID-19 hotspots, Mr Morrison, who is pushing back against closures because of the economic damage, also remained at record high popularity.

However, his approval ratings did fall for the first time since mid-April — the height of the ­pandemic — dropping four points to 64 per cent.

Dissatisfaction with Mr Morrison’s performance rose three points to 32 per cent.

Anthony Albanese at the same time has managed to virtually hold his ground with a two-point rise to 43 per cent. However, dissatisfaction with his performance jumped three points to 41 per cent.

 

Despite his still maintaining a significant lead over his rival, Mr Morrison’s rating as preferred prime minister fell two points from a high of 60 three weeks ago to 58 per cent — the same levels he enjoyed in June.

The Labor leader’s fortunes rose four points to 29 per cent, which is the highest support for Mr Albanese since May.

The swing to Labor of three primary vote points came with no change to the Greens on 11 per cent, no change to the other minor parties at 9 per cent and a single point drop to 3 per cent for Pauline Hanson’s One Nation.

Most of the shift in votes appears to have come directly from the Coalition’s column.

At 41 per cent, the Coalition is back to the level of support it had near the end of April when the economy was forcibly put into hibernation at the height of the COVID-19 infections.