Newspoll: Anthony Albanese’s approval ratings drop, Coalition failing to win over voters on inflation
Anthony Albanese’s approval ratings have slumped to the equal-lowest level since he became Prime Minister, as Peter Dutton fails to sway voters over management of the inflation crisis.
Anthony Albanese’s approval ratings have slumped to the equal-lowest level since he became Prime Minister following the heated political battle over Palestinian visas, with Labor and the Coalition remaining locked in a dead-heat battle that would produce a hung parliament if an election were held this weekend.
But Peter Dutton is failing to convince voters the Coalition would be doing a better job than Labor at managing the inflation crisis if it were in government, as cost of living looms as the central issue in the broader electoral contest.
An exclusive Newspoll conducted for The Australian shows only a quarter of voters believe inflation would be lower under the Coalition, while 18 per cent believed that it would be higher.
Most voters, 41 per cent, believe neither side would be doing a better job than the other and that inflation would be the same irrespective of who was in power. The poll suggests the Coalition is failing to make the case that it would be a better steward of the economy when it comes to inflation, with some Liberal MPs concerned Mr Dutton is not focused enough on the economy.
Only 50 per cent of Coalition voters were convinced that inflation would be lower now under a Coalition government, with 35 per cent believing there would be no difference. Younger voters were more inclined to think inflation would be higher under a Coalition government, whereas those most likely to believe it would be lower were aged over 65.
The first two weeks of the three-week survey period were dominated by the incendiary parliamentary debate over the government’s foreign policy position on Palestinian tourist visas.
While Labor’s attacks on Mr Dutton, and accusations that he was a divisive leader, saw his personal numbers fall, it was Mr Albanese’s standing that suffered the most. Mr Albanese’s disapproval rating rose three points to 54 per cent, which is the highest level of dissatisfaction in his performance since the May 2022 election.
His approval rating fell two points to 41 per cent.
The net result is the equal worst for Mr Albanese since becoming Prime Minister.
Mr Dutton’s approval rating fell a point to 39 per cent, with a two-point rise in dissatisfaction with his performance as Opposition Leader to 52 per cent. Mr Dutton’s net negative approval rating is now also minus 13, although this is not his worst result since becoming the Liberal leader.
The latest Newspoll shows both Labor and the Coalition locked in a two-party-preferred contest at 50-50. This is the second Newspoll to record an even split for the major parties after preferences are distributed.
It is the first time back-to-back Newspoll surveys have recorded this result since the election. The Coalition’s primary vote fell a point to 38 per cent while Labor’s remained unchanged at 32 per cent with no electoral benefit for the government from last week’s monthly CPI data which showed a drop in the headline inflation rate due to the commonwealth and state government energy subsidies.
Pauline Hanson’s One Nation lifted a point to 7 per cent, with no change for the Greens on 12 per cent. Other minor parties and independents remained unchanged at 11 per cent. The most significant movement in the numbers was the slump in Mr Albanese’s net approval ratings to minus 13, which are now equal to those of Mr Dutton.
The head-to-head contest between Mr Albanese and Mr Dutton over who voters believed would make the better prime minister was largely unchanged, with Mr Albanese falling a point to 45 per cent which is the lowest level on this measure since the election.
Mr Dutton lost two points to 37 per cent. The narrow gap of eight points is still above the closest margin of 7 per cent recorded in the previous two Newspolls.
Voters who were uncommitted rose to a high of 18 per cent, in line with a deepening dissatisfaction in the performance of both leaders.
The latest Newspoll survey was conducted between August 26 and August 30, with 1263 voters throughout Australia interviewed online.
More Coverage
Hypocrisy, bad taste and other follies of 2024
On New Year’s Day 2024, morale was relatively high since the Year of the Dragon was expected to usher in a time of rational thinking. Not quite how it worked out.
Dutton nuclear plan ‘economic madness’
Jim Chalmers has fired the first salvo in what is likely to be a sustained campaign of economic attacks by Labor on Peter Dutton’s nuclear plan, to be driven by the Treasurer himself.