Crossbench in spotlight as polls point to hung parliament

Anthony Albanese has been drowning in the polls, but that does not mean it is looking good for Peter Dutton.

Neither Anthony Albanese nor Peter Dutton are wooing enough voters to win government outright, according to key polls published over the weekend.

The Prime Minister’s approval rating is a record -21 in the latest Newspoll, while Labor’s primary vote remained at 31 per cent.

In 2022, Labor won with 32.6 per cent, suggesting a 3.1 per cent swing against the ALP on a two-party-preferred basis.

That would translate into the loss of up to eight seats and block any pathways to Labor governing in majority.

But Mr Dutton would need a swing of about double that to form a majority Coalition government, suggesting Australia faces a hung parliament at the upcoming federal election.

Latest polls show neither Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (left) nor Opposition Leader Peter Dutton (right) are wooing enough voters to form government. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

The latest Newspoll echoes the findings of YouGov and Redbridge data.

YouGov predicted the Coalition would secure 73 seats with a range of 65-80.

It tipped Labor at 66 with a range of 59-72.

With 76 seats required to form government, YouGov projected a 78 per cent chance of a hung parliament.

Similarly, Redbridge found the Coalition was ahead of Labor 52-48 in pivotal marginal seats but still fell short of a clear pathway to a majority.

This means leaders would need to look to the crossbench to get their numbers for a government.

Mr Albanese has maintained Labor intends to win in majority and has not floated whom he might work with publicly.

Although, he did host independents for drinks at the his residence last week in Canberra.

Kylea Tink (left), Zali Steggall (centre) and Zoe Daniel (right) were among the independents invited to Mr Albanese’s residence for drinks. Picture: Martin Ollman / The Australian

Independent MP Allegra Spender says she is ‘open to working’ with both Labor and the Coalition. Picture: Martin Ollman / The Australian

The Opposition Leader, however, has dropped a few names on whom he might work with to get his numbers.

“I think if you speak to Bob Katter, if you speak to Allegra Spender, I think if you speak to Dai Lee, I think if you speak with one or two of the others, I think there’s at least a conversation to have,” Mr Dutton told Nine’s 60 Minutes in a segment that aired on Sunday.

Ms Spender, a teal independent, on Sunday morning also said she was “ready to work” with the Coalition.

“I am very open to working with a Coalition government and I’m open to working with the Labor government, but that depends on what they are actually going to put on the table,” she the ABC.

Originally published as Crossbench in spotlight as polls point to hung parliament