Prime Minister Scott Morrison has eaten a shit sandwich in a new poll, showing plummeting support for his leadership amid the nation’s bushfire crisis.
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As if mass demonstrations and countless viral clips hadn’t proved it enough, the latest Newspoll shows freefalling satisfaction in Morrison’s job performance. The Australian reports the PM now enjoys a net satisfaction rating of -22, down from December 2019’s rating of -3. I’m no statistician, but that doesn’t seem great.
If that wasn’t enough of an indicator of his current popularity, Opposition leader Anthony Albanese is now rated as the nation’s preferred Prime Minister on a 43-39 basis. That’s the first time since last year’s federal election that a Labor leader has edged Morrison in the polls.
#BREAKING: Anthony Albanese now leads Scott Morrison as the preferred prime minister — 43 per cent to 39 per cent https://t.co/BBIpaSaAKw #Newspoll pic.twitter.com/wbp9RAyDjg
— The Australian (@australian) January 12, 2020
But much of the ire seems focussed on Morrison, with the Coalition escaping a huge dip in support.
The poll suggests that if a federal election were held today, Labor would squeak ahead of the Coalition on a razor-thin 49-51 basis, up from last month’s predicted 48-52 loss. Primary support for the Coalition only sank 2 points to 40, still well ahead of Labor’s 36.
Taken together, the Newspoll seems to suggest that voter for support for the Coalition – which includes a deputy prime minister who called climate change concerns the ravings of “woke capital city greenies”, an environment minister who has only offered timid links to climate change, and a backbencher who rejects the science entirely – is pretty sturdy.
As The Australian put it: “Fears that the issue had severely damaged the government will be tempered.”
What could possibly come next for a dominant party whose leader’s reputation is in the loo?
.@ellinghausen turns his camera on Immigration Minister Peter Dutton. pic.twitter.com/d8sr3dA0nn
— Stephanie Peatling (@srpeatling) May 3, 2016
