Turnbull widens lead as vote falls

Malcolm Turnbull’s approval rating is at its strongest level this year, but voting numbers remain a problem, Newspoll figures show.

Malcolm Turnbull’s personal approval rating continues to swamp that of Bill Shorten.

The federal government is struggling to reverse a damaging political slump, despite a significant boost in Malcolm Turnbull’s personal standing, with the Coalition trailing Labor by 47 to 53 per cent in two-party terms.

Mr Turnbull has widened his lead over Bill Shorten as preferred prime minister to reach his strongest position so far this year, backed by 46 per cent of voters compared with 31 per cent who favour the Opposition Leader.

The Prime Minister has also gained ground in voter satisfaction with his performance, posting his strongest results since early last year, despite a week of Liberal infighting over same-sex marriage and speculation of a challenge to his authority on the floor of parliament.

But the government is battling to emerge from a 12-week trough in the opinion polls, with its primary vote unchanged at 36 per cent and its support in two-party terms flatlining in six consecutive surveys since May, when it failed to gain a dividend from the federal budget.

The latest Newspoll, conducted exclusively for The Australian, shows Labor’s primary vote has fallen from 37 to 36 per cent after a fortnight of big policies including a $4.1 billion tax hit on family trusts, a plan to enact four-year parliamentary terms and a vow to hold a plebiscite on a republic.

Pauline Hanson’s One Nation has suffered its second setback in consecutive Newspolls, with its primary vote slipping from 9 to 8 per cent amid questions over whether Queensland senator Malcolm Roberts renounced his British citizenship in time to ­secure a valid election to the upper house.

Weeks after two Greens senators quit because they breached the citizenship rules, Greens leader Richard Di Natale has gained a boost with the party’s primary vote rising from 9 to 11 per cent, its strongest result since May last year.

Mr Turnbull sought to rebuild support in Western Australia last week with a three-day visit to the state but his plans to focus on the economy were thrown off balance by days of questions about same-sex marriage and the leak of his conversation with US President Donald Trump over a refugee swap.

“I think Australians can see that I stand up for them, for Australia’s interest, to defend our ­national interest,” he said of the leaked transcript.

While Coalition MPs waged an internal war over marriage reform, Labor spent the past week arguing the case for a minimum 30 per cent tax on discretionary trusts on the grounds that a fair society requires a fairer tax system.

“There are levers that a conscientious government has which can help ensure all Australians, regardless of their postcodes or their parents’ wealth, get a fair go in life,” Mr Shorten said last week.

The latest Newspoll, conducted from Thursday to Sunday, showed an improvement in the number of voters who were satisfied with Mr Shorten, which rose from 33 to 36 per cent, and a reduction in the number who were dissatisfied, which fell from 53 to 51 per cent.

Mr Shorten’s net satisfaction rating — the difference between those satisfied and those dissatisfied with his performance — improved from negative 20 points to negative 15 points over the past fortnight.

Voters reported greater satisfaction with Mr Turnbull’s performance, which rose from 34 to 38 per cent, and a fall in the number who were dissatisfied, which fell from 54 to 50 per cent.

Mr Turnbull’s net satisfaction improved from negative 20 points to negative 12 points, a bigger boost compared with Mr Shorten and one of the Prime Minister’s best results since early last year.

The result comes after a fortnight that included the police raids in Sydney to prevent a terrorist ­attack on a flight to the Middle East, Mr Turnbull’s formation of a new Home Office ministry to improve national security and the Prime Minister’s call for energy companies to limit price hikes for consumers.

Labor lost ground with its primary vote during a polling period that also included Mr Shorten’s call for four-year terms of parliament, his promise to hold a plebiscite on a republic and the new policy to increase tax revenue from discretionary trusts, a move that has prompted a backlash from small business owners.

The Newspoll survey of 1639 respondents saw many of the results stay the same or move within the margin of error of 2.4 percentage points, except for the gains in Mr Turnbull’s standing.

Mr Turnbull has kept his lead over Mr Shorten as preferred prime minister since taking the Liberal leadership in August 2015 but saw the gap narrow to 8 percentage points in early July.

The gap widened to 11 percentage points in the last Newspoll two weeks ago and widened further to 15 points in the latest survey.

The number of voters who prefer Mr Turnbull increased from 43 to 46 per cent in the latest Newspoll while those who prefer Mr Shorten fell from 32 to 31 per cent.

The latest survey is the 17th consecutive survey where ­the Coalition has trailed Labor in two-party terms, a tally that is being closely watched by Mr Turnbull’s conservative critics.