Get 40% Off
🤯 This Tech Portfolio is up 29% YTD! Join Now to Get April’s Top PicksGet The Picks – Just 99 USD

Opinion poll shows some voters warming to Australia's new prime minister

Published 15/10/2018, 11:40 am
Updated 15/10/2018, 11:50 am
© Reuters.  Opinion poll shows some voters warming to Australia's new prime minister

© Reuters. Opinion poll shows some voters warming to Australia's new prime minister

SYDNEY, Oct 15 (Reuters) - Australia's new prime minister extended his party's nascent recovery, one widely watched opinion poll showed on Monday, six days before a crucial by-election, but the main Labor opposition still holds a landslide-sized lead before elections due by May.

The Newspoll, published in The Australian newspaper, showed the ruling Liberal-National coalition trailing Labor 47 percent to 53 percent on a two-party preferred basis, under which votes for minor parties are redistributed according to Australia's preferential voting system.

The gap between the two main parties, twice as wide a month ago, tightened by two points since the previous poll. another poll in The Sydney Morning Herald showed the gap between the government and Labor widening significantly. The Herald's Fairfax-Ipsos poll, based on a smaller sample than the Newspoll, showed Labor leading 55-45, an increase of four points since September.

Both polls suggest a resounding defeat for the government at a general election, which must be held by May.

Nevertheless, Prime Minister Scott Morrison did perform better with voters than Malcolm Turnbull, the man he replaced in a party-room coup in August, on a range of Newspoll personal measures including "capable of handling the economy". is also seen as more capable of delivering tax cuts, a key policy battleground where he burnished his credentials last week with a promise to reduce taxes on small businesses. doing better than Turnbull. That's not what you would have expected three months ago," said Haydon Manning, a political science professor at Flinders University in South Australia state.

"He seems to have a way with words, or more in common with the average Australian, especially where it counts in the marginal, outer-urban electorates," he said.

However, Morrison faces a by-election on Saturday in Turnbull's harbourside Sydney seat, where voter anger over the revolving door of political leaders has made a once-safe Liberal district a close contest.

The stakes are even higher because the centre-right coalition clings to power by a one-seat margin in parliament, which means a loss at the by-election would force Morrison to strike an agreement with independent lawmakers to continue in minority government.

By-elections typically produce strong swings against sitting governments, with the affluent seat of Wentworth seen as particularly vulnerable because of Turnbull's personal popularity.

The strongest challenger in the seat, polls suggest, is popular independent Kerryn Phelps, who has promised to allow Morrison to continue in minority government.

Latest comments

Risk Disclosure: Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.
© 2007-2024 - Fusion Media Limited. All Rights Reserved.