Source : Perth Now news
Labor’s support has fallen sharply in the latest Newspoll, with its primary vote down to 29 per cent and Anthony Albanese’s net approval sinking further amid pressure on household budgets.
The survey, conducted for The Australian by Pyxis Polling & Insights, points to a difficult political environment for the government as voters continue to grapple with cost-of-living pressures, inflation and elevated interest rates.
The result leaves Labor at its weakest primary vote level since June 2013, when Julia Gillard was still prime minister.
The poll of 1242 voters, conducted between Monday and Friday last week, found Coalition support remained subdued at 18 per cent, while Pauline Hanson’s One Nation slipped one point to 29 per cent.
The Greens lifted two points to 14 per cent, while support for other minor parties and independents edged up to 10 per cent.
Despite the decline in Labor’s primary support, Albanese remained ahead on preferred prime minister, with 46 per cent backing him compared with 31 per cent for Hanson and 23 per cent for Opposition Leader Angus Taylor.
Hanson ranked second on that measure, ahead of Taylor, while Albanese also led her after preferences were distributed between Labor and One Nation.
The Prime Minister’s net approval rating fell to minus-22, extending a long period of weak personal numbers since the 2022 election.
Taylor narrowed the gap on leadership measures after improving his own standing. His net approval rose to minus-12, and he reduced Albanese’s lead on the question of who would make the better prime minister.
The figures land as federal MPs prepare to return to Canberra on Tuesday after the mid-winter break, setting up a combative parliamentary week focused on the economy, tax, migration, national security and gambling policy.
The government is expected to keep its attention on economic pressures facing households, while also moving closer to tougher migration settings aimed at meeting its net overseas migration targets.
The Coalition is preparing to intensify its attacks on living standards, taxation and the broader cost-of-living squeeze, while sharpening its positions on deregulation, immigration and energy.
One Nation, meanwhile, is set to press ahead with a counter-terror proposal that would seek stronger bail rules for terror offences, broader passport-blocking powers and measures aimed at Islamic State-linked fighters and extremist sympathisers.
The latest numbers mark a stark change from Labor’s position late last year, when the party held a much stronger primary vote and Albanese’s approval was neutral.
Over the same period, One Nation has expanded its support significantly, while the Coalition’s base vote has remained under severe strain.
