Coalition vote sinks to worst in Newspoll history
Source: ABC TV
Infighting and a frontbench sacking has paved the way to the Coalition’s worst result in Newspoll history – while a separate survey shows One Nation reaching record highs as disaffected voters continue to desert the major parties.
A Newspoll conducted last week found the Coalition’s primary vote had collapsed to 27 per cent, the lowest since the poll began tracking first preferences in 1985.
Labor’s primary vote was steady at 36 per cent, giving Prime Minister Anthony Albanese a commanding 58-42 two-party-preferred lead – his biggest margin since taking office.
The result comes after Opposition Leader Sussan Ley last week sacked Northern Territory senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price from her frontbench, a move that exposed bitter divisions over migration, climate change and net-zero policy.
Deputy Liberal leader Ted O’Brien conceded that the past week had been a tough one for the opposition.
You might like
“Politics builds big egos, but I tell you, it also gives you some good lessons in humility and we’re learning those lessons now,” O’Brien told Nine’s Today program on Monday.
“But I’ve got every confidence that we’re going to be coming back and we will take a compelling proposition to the Australian people at the election and that’s the poll that matters.”
Independent senator Jacqui Lambie suggested that if the Coalition’s polling didn’t turn around, Ley could face a leadership challenge by Christmas.
The Newspoll found that One Nation appeared to have reaped the rewards of voter dissatisfaction with the Coalition, with its primary vote climbing to 10 per cent from 6.4 per cent at the May 3 federal election.
Stay informed, daily
“I think that’s always going to be the case when the Liberals are down and out,” Lambie said of One Nation’s polling.
“They are the camouflage for the far, far right of the Liberal Party.
“I’m not sure the way she [Ley] is going right now, with all due respect, is that she’s going to last until Christmas time.”
Ley’s personal standing has also taken a hit in Newspoll. Her approval rating has fallen to -17, with only 32 per cent of voters satisfied with her performance. She trails Albanese 31-51 as preferred prime minister.
However, Albanese’s approval also dipped, falling into negative territory at -5.
While Coalition colleagues have dismissed talk of a leadership challenge, Ley has sought to reassert control, unveiling a reshuffled frontbench that promoted conservatives Claire Chandler and Simon Kennedy and reinstated James Paterson to her leadership group.
The grim figures echo findings in the latest Resolve Political Monitor, published by Nine, which also put the Coalition on 27 per cent – its lowest result since that survey began in 2021. Labor slipped two points to 35 per cent, while One Nation surged to a record 12 per cent.
On a two-party-preferred basis, Labor leads 55-45, unchanged from the May election. Resolve found Albanese’s net performance rating at -1, compared to Ley’s +9, though he still leads 38-26 as preferred leader.
Both polls highlight a historic decline in support for the major parties and a growing appetite for minor players, with One Nation reaching double digits for the first time in Resolve.
-AAP
