Scott Morrison weathers storm as virus wreaks havoc

Popular support for Scott Morrison has hardened amid Victoria’s COVID-19 crisis despite the major parties losing ground.

Scott Morrison has weathered a stormy three weeks. Picture: Gary Ramage

Popular support for Scott Morrison has hardened amid Victoria’s COVID-19 crisis despite the major parties losing electoral ground as a political row looms over the economic response to the pandemic.

An exclusive Newspoll conducted for The Australian shows the primary vote for both the ­Coalition and Labor falling back a point while Mr Morrison has ­extended his lead over Anthony Albanese as the preferred prime minister.

The Coalition still maintains a comfortable lead on a two-party preferred split — 52-48 — despite a fall from the previous poll three weeks ago that had the ­Coalition at an equal post-election high of 53-47.

Labor’s primary vote dropped to 33 per cent, which is now below its election result in May last year.

Popular ­support for the ­Coalition also fell, to 43 per cent, but remains above the 41.4 per cent it recorded at the 2019 election.

The results follow the ­announcement last week by the Morrison government that it would tip another $15bn into the JobKeeper program in response to the Victorian crisis and the knock-on effects to the national economy.

But it also comes amid a brewing political argument over the size of the fiscal stimulus, with the federal government calling for the states to lift their game and contribute more to the economic ­rescue.

Scott Morrison has largely weathered a stormy three weeks, fending off a battle with the West Australian government over border closures and suggestions from Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews and Mr Albanese, that the federal government was to blame for the aged-care crisis in Victoria.

The Prime Minister’s approval ratings remain at a high of 68 per cent against a two-point rise to 29 per cent among those dissatisfied with his performance.

Despite the launch of an ­aggressive Labor attack on the Coalition across multiple fronts — deaths in aged care, paid pandemic leave and early superannuation access — the Liberal leader extended his lead as preferred prime minister.

He now leads his rival 60-25, compared to the previous poll conducted three weeks ago that had Mr Morrison leading 59-26.  This is the largest margin for a prime minister over an opposition leader since 2015 when Malcolm Turnbull took over the Liberal leadership and Bill Shorten was Labor leader.

But Anthony Albanese has also maintained his approval ratings at 41 per cent.

Dissatisfaction with the Labor leader dropped two points to 38 per cent, keeping Mr Albanese in net positive territory.

The one-point fall in primary vote for both major parties went to the Greens, which lifted a point to 11 per cent, and a single-digit rise to 9 per cent for other minor parties.

One Nation’s support remained unchanged at 4 per cent.

The poll was based on surveys of 1509 voters across the capital city and the regions between ­Wednesday and Saturday.

It comes ahead of a week of economic figures due to be ­released, including monthly ­labour force statistics and consumer confidence numbers.