Nobody Likes Bill Shorten That Much Either

That’s not to say he’s slipped behind Tony Abbott in regards to preferred Prime Minister. Far from it, in fact. On a two-party preferred basis, Labor still holds a 53-47 lead over the incumbent Coalition, with Shorten’s lead as preferred PM over Abbott standing at 40-37.

But given the choice, it seems people would very much prefer neither of the two current bozos. Abbott’s dissatisfaction rating has now soared to 61 percent, which is the highest that figure’s been since becoming Prime Minister. Whilst Shorten’s levels are at similar record highs, currently sitting at 45 percent – his worst since taking the reigns at Labor. And when you look at their actual approval ratings, it gets even bleaker – with Abbott falling to a measly 30 percent, and Shorten not faring much better on 34.

The reasoning behind these numbers? Hard to say. Certainly with Abbott it’s easy to suggest that the miasma of repeated gaffes and botched budget rollout hangs heavy over the Coalition Government’s rookie year. But for Shorten? Probably a complete lack of action, or perceived spine. One strong Budget Reply speech does not a strong Opposition force make, after all. But the benefit of opposition is it affords a much longer grace period than an incoming government gets.

So while for the time being it’s all well and good to sit back, laugh and watch as the Coalition Government attempts to slowly eat itself, eventually a solid game plan will need to be formed, and a strong viable alternative needs to be presented to the public before those numbers can rise.

Bill Shorten’s got the better part of three years to get it right. If for no other reason than to provide an interesting fight, here’s hoping he does.

via Sky News Australia.