Libs’ poll boost in Boothby as GetUp fails to dent crucial seat

Nicolle Flint’s shift in support has her ahead of Labor, despite an intense campaign against her.

The YouGov Galaxy poll found 47 per cent primary support for Liberal candidate Nicolle Flint, pictured, 10 points clear of Labor Nadia Clancy’s 37 per cent. Picture: News Corp

The Liberal Party has received a boost in its bid to retain the marginal South Australian seat of Boothby, with a new poll finding it six points ahead of Labor.

Incumbent Nicolle Flint, a first-term MP linked to the Liberals’ conservative faction, is ahead of Labor rival Nadia Clancy 53-47 per cent on a two-party basis, according to the YouGov Galaxy poll published today by The Advertiser.

The result will come as a welcome surprise to many Liberals following weeks of intense campaigning against Ms Flint by GetUp and the unions.

Following a boundary redraw last year, Ms Flint’s margin fell from 3.5 per cent to a notional 2.7 per cent.

The YouGov Galaxy poll found 47 per cent primary support for Ms Flint, 10 points clear of Ms Clancy’s 37 per cent.

The Greens had 9 per cent primary support, United Australia Party 3 per cent, and other minor parties 4 per cent.

Stretching from the beachside suburbs of Glenelg and Brighton in the west to the foothills in the east, Boothby is the only marginal seat in South Australia and the site of Scott Morrison’s sole visit to the state this campaign.

Bill Shorten has twice visited the seat.

Analysis finds it will be one of the most affected seats nationally should Labor’s retiree tax come into effect.

The poll of 520 Boothby voters was conducted Thursday — a day after Bill Shorten gave an emotional response to a media report that said he missed a “vital fact” when detailing his mother’s employment history on the ABC’s Q&A program.

Almost half the respondents (49 per cent) preferred Scott Morrison as prime minister, well above the 36 per cent who said Mr Shorten.

Fifteen per cent were undecided.

Labor went within 0.8 per cent of taking Boothby in 2010 and insiders from both sides expect an even closer contest this election.

A big shift in betting markets over the past week has seen Ms Flint come in as slight favourite, but a senior Labor source said the party remains “cautiously optimistic”.