Albanese rides to Bill Shorten’s rescue over Newspoll ratings

Facing falling personal polling numbers, Bill Shorten called on Labor’s would-be leader.

Bill Shorten and former leadership rival Anthony Albanese on the campaign trail together in the western Sydney marginal seat of Lindsay yesterday. Picture: Liam Kidston

Having leant on Labor heroes of the past — Keating, Rudd and Gillard — to help polish his popularity, yesterday Bill Shorten, facing falling personal polling numbers, called upon his arch-rival, and the party’s most popular would-be leader, to help win over voters in Sydney’s west.

And while Mr Shorten faced the ignominy of being forced to declare on morning television that he wasn’t unpopular at all, Anthony Albanese was forthright in his praise of the man who ­snatched the Labor leadership from him.

“Albo”, the left-wing warrior who won the popular leadership vote of ALP members in 2013, only to be pipped by Mr Shorten’s superior skills in working the factions, insisted his old mate was “creaming” the Prime Minister.

“What we know now is that Scott Morrison basically got creamed by Bill Shorten in the two debates that have been held. Creamed, absolutely. One-nil, then two-nil,” Mr Albanese said.

Mr Shorten recorded a negative personal satisfaction rating of 18 points in yesterday’s Newspoll, dipping two points from the last survey, and has struggled to beat Coalition leaders in the preferred prime minister stakes throughout his six years as Opposition Leader.

Facing questions over his unpopularity and its effect on Labor’s electoral hopes, Mr Shorten, a former top union official, has used more popular frontbenchers Tanya Plibersek and Penny Wong, as well as wife Chloe, to smooth out his image. And yesterday it was Mr Albanese’s turn. Government strategists believe Mr Albanese would be a far tougher opponent and some in Labor still regarded him as Labor’s best chance to take government as recently as last July.

The trip to Lindsay, based around Penrith, marked the first campaign visit by Mr Shorten to the seat, held on a margin of 1.1 per cent. The government is hopeful it can claw back a victory in the western Sydney swing seat.

The Labor leader is now 11 points behind Mr Morrison in the better prime minister rankings — but uncomfortably insisted yesterday he was not unpopular at all.

“I don’t think people don’t like me or my policies,” he told Sunrise host David Koch on the Seven Network.