Newspoll: By voter acclaim, ‘a visionary and decisive’ PM

Scott Morrison is now regarded by voters as the most decisive and visionary leader in a decade with his handling of the pandemic.

Scott Morrison in the House of Representatives in Canberra on Monday. Picture: Mike Bowers

Scott Morrison is now regarded by voters as the most decisive and visionary leader in a decade, with his handling of the pandemic restoring the electorate’s confidence that the Prime Minister understood the major issues facing ­Australia.

An exclusive Newspoll conducted for The Australian shows Mr Morrison was seen as the most experienced and caring prime minister since Kevin Rudd and the most in touch with the needs of Australians.

The special Newspoll conducted last week and at the weekend reveals a dramatic lift across the board in the attributes voters seek most in judging the calibre of national leaders since the same poll was last taken in early December 2019.

The strong rise in regard for Mr Morrison appears even more significant considering approval of his leadership fell to an all-time low following heavy criticism of his response and handling of the fire season.

In stark contrast to voter opinion before Christmas, support for Mr Morrison as having a vision for Australia rose 12 points to 72 per cent, which is the highest for a prime minister since immediately after Julia Gillard took the leadership from Mr Rudd in 2010.

 

The lead over Anthony Albanese on this measure extended to 20 points. This was also the widest margin a prime minister has held over an opposition leader on this question since Ms Gillard was up against Tony Abbott.

This measure has gained new relevance amid the battle over border closures that Mr Morrison believes are holding the country back from the federal government’s delivery of its economic recovery plan.

The results reveal a political problem for the Labor leader, with voters overwhelmingly backing Mr Morrison in a time of crisis as having a plan for the future.

 

It is also the first time a conservative leader has been regarded as caring more for the needs of Australians and thought of as more trustworthy over a Labor leader. Backing for Mr Morrison as a strong and decisive leader rose 10 points to 70 per cent, which was also the highest for any leader since 2010 and 23 points higher than the Labor leader, who has fallen four points since the last survey.

While Mr Morrison’s approval across all metrics rose strongly, Mr Albanese managed to hold ground, having dipped only marginally across six of the nine leadership attributes: likability, vision, experience, being in touch with voters and trust.

He maintained his position on caring for people at 60 per cent, was regarded as less arrogant than he was nine months ago, dropping from 40 per cent to 37 per cent, and was regarded as more understanding of the major issues, in which he rose to 61 per cent.

 

On the question of arrogance, which Labor has tried to capitalise on in past campaigns, it was the only metric where Mr Albanese fared better than his rival. Mr Morrison was also viewed as far less arrogant in the face of the COVID-19 crisis than he was six months after winning the 2019 election, dropping sharply from 58 per cent to 46 per cent.

When voters were asked who they believed was the more experienced leader, Mr Morrison strengthened his position 11 points to 79 per cent, which was 16 points ahead of Mr Albanese, who had served as deputy prime minister under the last Rudd government.

This was higher than Mr Abbott or Malcolm Turnbull ever enjoyed during their terms as prime minister. On understanding the major issues, of which COVID-19 is clearly the only one that matters currently, Mr Morrison improved 19 points since December last year, which was also the highest number enjoyed by a prime minister since 2010.

The Newspoll was conducted between August 26 and August 29 based on a survey of 1507 voters across mainland capital cities and the regions.