Electorate vote didn’t transfer to the partyroom

Julie Bishop is the most popular leader the Liberal Party doesn’t have, shading Scott Morrison in today’s exclusive Newspoll.

Former foreign minister Julie Bishop at Perth Airport. Picture: Richard Hatherly

Julie Bishop is the most popular leader the Liberal Party doesn’t have, shading Scott Morrison and ex-prime minister Malcolm Turnbull in today’s exclusive Newspoll.

She topped the list of Liberal leadership contenders, with 29 per cent of voters preferring her over a field that also included Tony ­Abbott and Peter Dutton.

Mr Morrison was nominated by 25 per cent of voters as the best leader, four points behind Ms Bishop. But Coalition supporters overwhelmingly backed the new Prime Minister — 38 per cent to 26 per cent for Ms Bishop — when the results were broken down on the party allegiance of those surveyed. Mr Turnbull ran a distant third on 14 per cent, while Mr ­Abbott polled 11 per cent. A Dutton leadership was embraced by only 6 per cent of voters, illustrating the challenge he would have faced had he prevailed in the partyroom.

Ms Bishop’s popularity with the electorate belies the modest 11 votes she received in the Liberal leadership ballot. Newspoll underlines her value to the government in terms of her profile and ability to raise funds. If she stands by her decision to quit as foreign minister by leaving the parliament, her loss will be keenly felt by the Liberals.

The perception Mr Turnbull was more popular with Labor voters than his own base is borne out by the finding that 18 per cent of ALP supporters backed him to be Liberal leader against 14 per cent of Coalition voters. Ms Bishop’s popularity extends across party lines: 42 per cent of Greens voters, 32 per cent from One Nation, 28 per cent from the ALP and 26 per cent from the Coalition rate her as best Liberal leader.