Strong voter support for the principle of Labor’s super tax plans will reinforce Anthony Albanese’s view that he has a sound grasp of the electoral mood.
Even with political mismanagement of the issue, there would appear to be a collective receptive ear to the class-based political undertones.
Having dipped a toe in the water, this may now embolden the government to pursue other concessional taxes – as hinted – as it searches for further budget savings.
At the same time, the Prime Minister will be conscious that his previously stratospheric approval ratings are now on a seeming downward trajectory.
The fall is less than dramatic but a sure sign that the romance of the honeymoon phase is coming to an end for the government.
Albanese still enjoys a net approval rating of plus 17, but this represents a halving of his post-election high of plus 35.
Slowly but surely, the political capital is being eroded.
This is hardly unexpected. What is surprising, however, is that his figures have stayed high for so long.
Albanese has had a politically difficult start to the year.
After the messiness of the past fortnight, arguably the government’s worst period since taking office, the opposition would have been banking on at least a partial reversal of fortunes in the polls.
The government mishandled the debate over super tax, no question.
And Jim Chalmers made a hash of engaging the broader debate after a blow up over taxing the family home.
The Treasurer will be relieved by the Newspoll as much as the opposition might be surprised.
That said, the government probably can’t afford too many more loose outbreaks like the one over super.
The greater risk for Albanese beyond the singularity of the argument over super is that people will eventually blame him for the cost-of-living crisis and rising interest rates.
This doesn’t appear to be happening yet.
But the decline in his personal numbers and a realignment of support for Labor more generally might be a symptom of decay brought on by an electoral malaise and growing sense that the government is distracted by issues other than those that matter most to most.
Whatever side you are on, you can read something into polls.
The results of the question over super may surprise Peter Dutton. The Coalition would have expected this issue to bite.
And his own personal numbers remain static, which shows that while the gloss may be coming off Albanese, it isn’t translating into increased approval for Dutton.
At the same time, the preferred prime minister gap has narrowed. And the trend is not pointing the right way for the government so far this year.
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