Newspoll: NSW Liberal federal seats at risk if voters revolt

Coalition MPs in marginal seats are “holding their nerve”, counting themselves down but not out, as voters revolt after a disastrous summer of Covid-19.

Coalition MPs in marginal seats are “holding their nerve,” counting themselves down but not out, as voters revolt after a disastrous summer of Covid-19 outbreaks, reintroduced restrictions and supply chain problems.

Several seats in NSW including Reid, Lindsay and Robertson are “must hold” for Prime Minister Scott Morrison, with the Coalition also seeking to pick up at least four seats nationally to counteract losses in Western Australia and Victoria due to a redistribution of electorates.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has slipped in the polls after the summer of Omicron. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

The Liberals are eyeing Labor-held marginal seats like Macquarie, Gilmore, Dobell, Eden Monaro and potentially seats in the Hunter Region as possible “gains”.

Senior Coalition figures were quick to dismiss the first Newspoll result for 2022, which put Labor ahead 56 per cent to 44 per cent on two party preferred, and placed Labor leader Anthony Albanese just two points shy of Mr Morrison as preferred prime minister.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said the mood in January would not necessarily carry through to the election, which is not due until May.

“The issues that we’ll be talking about on election day could very well be different to the ones we are talking about this morning,” he said.

Labor leader Anthony Albanese is within two points of Scott Morrison as preferred PM. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Crosling

Dr Fiona Martin, who is seeking re-election for the inner-western Sydney seat of Reid, said she was confident of victory despite Monday’s Newspoll.

“The polls were really wrong about me back in 2019 right up to election day, that was my reality,” she said.

“People are looking to the government to continue pandemic management, management of the economy, and national security,” she said.

Labor sources are also unwilling to read too much into the latest Newspoll survey, saying while a win was possible the opposition had a “long way to go”.

Both Labor and Liberal insiders identified a general frustration with “government” of all levels among voters in NSW.

Several senior Liberal sources acknowledged while the summer had been bad for Mr Morrison, they were in no way ruling out a victory given the prime minister’s previous campaigning success.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Labor leader Anthony Albanese will go head to head when Parliament resumes in Canberra in February. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

One source in the prime minister’s office maintained that with potentially four months to go before an election the government had time to reverse its fortunes.

“Sixteen weeks ago Sydney was just coming out of lockdown and Dom Perrottet had just become premier,” said one source.

“That’s a long time in politics.”

There is also hope within the government Mr Albanese will be “caught out on the details of his plans” under the scrutiny of the campaign.

Originally published as Newspoll: NSW Liberal federal seats at risk if voters revolt