Labor pulls ahead in Newspoll as Albanese closes margin on Morrison

Labor has pulled ahead in its lead over the Coalition following the interest rate rise, according to the latest Newspoll.

Labor has extended its lead over the Coalition following last week’s interest rate rise by the Reserve Bank, with Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese gaining ground on Scott Morrison as the preferred prime minister.

According to the latest Newspoll in The Australian, the final two week stretch of the election campaign has seen female voters favour Labor as the party better equipped to address the rising cost of living.

The Newspoll indicated popular support for Labor lifting a point to 39 per cent, with the Coalition falling a point to 35 per cent.

This is the largest lead Labor has held over the Coalition since the beginning of the election campaign.

(L-R) Australian opposition leader Anthony Albanese and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison debate on live television ahead of the federal election. Picture: Pool/Getty Images

Labor’s two-party-preferred vote has risen to 54/46, a two-point turnaround over the past week.

If repeated on polling day on May 21, these national figures could give Labor a majority victory.

In the wake of a campaign week dominated by discussions around inflation and the rising cost of living, Mr Morrison suffered a fall in his approval ratings.

This has given Mr Albanese a lift in the contest over who voters think would make the better prime minister.

Mr Albanese’s rating rose three points to 42 per cent.

Support for Anthony Albanese has risen three points, giving him the widest lead since the beginning of the election campaign. Picture: Alex Ellinghausen – Pool/Getty Images

Mr Morrison is slightly ahead after falling a point to 44 per cent. It is the narrowest margin between the two leaders since early April, with 14 per cent of voters still undecided.

Voters have nominated Labor marginally ahead of the Coalition as the party considered better at managing their concerns about inflation.

When asked which government would be better at managing cost-of-living pressures, 44 per cent nominated an Albanese-led Labor government over 41 per cent in favour of a Morrison government.

Male voters were evenly split at 44 per cent but female voters leant heavily towards Labor – 45 per cent to 38 per cent, with 17 per cent undecided.

Age was also a factor with 59 per cent of voters aged over 65 nominating the Coalition and 57 per cent of 18- to 34-year-olds backing Labor.

According to the latest Newspoll, older voters were more in favour of Prime Minister Scott Morrison. Picture: Alex Ellinghausen – Pool/Getty Images

Those aged 50 to 64 were also strongly in favour of the Coalition – 45 per cent to 38 per cent, while 45 per cent of the 35- to 49-year-old demographic nominated Labor compared to 36 per cent for the Coalition on this question.

Satisfaction in Mr Morrison’s performance fell three points to 41 per cent, while those dissatisfied rose four points to 55 per cent, giving him a net negative approval rating of minus 14 – the lowest score for Mr Morrison since early March.

Mr Albanese rose a point to 41 per cent and improved his dissatisfaction rating two points to 47 per cent, leaving him with a net negative rating of minus 6.

Originally published as Labor pulls ahead in Newspoll as Albanese closes margin on Morrison