Government maintains handy lead in latest EMRS poll

A funny thing has happened to Peter Gutwein’s approval rating in the latest opinion poll result which reveals a huge one-sided lean to one party.

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LABOR enjoys the support of just one in four voters in Tasmania, a new poll has found.

The EMRS telephone survey of 1000 electors conducted in mid-November reveals support for Labor has risen one percentage point to 25 per cent since August, with support for the Liberals down two percentage points.

Support for the Greens was up one percentage point to 13 per cent.

The government’s figures was better — and the Labor figure worse — than the result the parties recorded at every election this century.

Tasmanian Premier Peter Gutwein speaks to the media at Blundstone Arena on Monday, December 7, 2020. PHOTO: DAVID KILLICK

Premier Peter Gutwein has seen his preferred premier rating drop from 70 per cent to 61 per cent since August, while Labor’s Rebecca White’s rating rose from 23 per cent to 26 per cent.

Ms White was ahead 43 per cent to 39 as recently as March.

Successive EMRS polls have shown the gap between the parties blow out during the pandemic.

The March poll had the government enjoying support of 43 per cent of voters and Labor 34 per cent. By May the figures were 52 per cent to 28 per cent.

EMRS Research Manager Paul Jamrozik said the COVID-19 response had strengthened government support.

“The November 2020 results confirm the strong ongoing endorsement of the government’s

performance over recent months, and indicate that voters are reluctant to shift their support

away from the government while developments related to COVID-19 are still very much to the fore,” he said.

Mr Gutwein’s decline in support was sharp, but he still enjoyed a healthy lead, Mr Jamrozik said.

“Nonetheless, at 61 per cent, Premier Gutwein continues to hold the lead in the preferred

Premier ratings, and the decrease in his personal support has not translated into a clear gain for the Opposition leader.

Labor leader Rebecca White during question time in State Parliament. Picture: Zak Simmonds

Rebecca White currently sits at 26 per cent as the preferred option, up only marginally by 3 points from 23 per cent in the August poll, with a further 6 point increase being noted in voters currently stating they were ‘unsure’ or ‘neither’ as to their preferred Premier, he said.

“Further EMRS polling showing high levels of satisfaction with the Government’s management of COVID-19 and of the state’s border control indicates that, despite any fluctuations in personal support for the leaders of the parties, the Government’s performance as a whole will continue to be the key factor in determining voting intentions for some time to come.”

The poll has a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points.

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