Australian PM's popularity slumps as government fractures emerge

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Australian PM's popularity slumps as government fractures emerge

 

FILE PHOTO: Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull speaks at a news conference after a meeting with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg at the Alliance's headquarters in Brussels, Belgium April 24, 2018. REUTERS/Francois Walschaerts/File Photo

 

SYDNEY (Reuters) - The personal approval rating of Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull fell to its lowest level in more than four months, a widely watched poll showed on Monday, adding pressure on Turnbull as he seeks to unite a fractured government.

 

A Newspoll for The Australian newspaper showed Turnbull's lead as preferred prime minister over opposition Labor leader Bill Shorten fell 4 percentage points in the past two weeks, a result that weakens his hand ahead of a critical meeting of the centre-right government on Tuesday.

 

Turnbull's personal popularity has so far safeguarded his leadership in a country where leadership changes have become common in recent years when polls have shown the government on course for an election defeat.

 

"Turnbull is again on the back foot. If he can't regain the momentum and get through his centrepiece policies, those leadership questions will again emerge," said Haydon Manning, a political science professor at Flinders University in South Australia state.

 

Turnbull's Liberal-National coalition government still trails Labor, the Newspoll opinion poll showed, although the margin was unchanged at 49-51.

 

Australia's government will convene on Tuesday after a six-week recess, the first time it will meet since a series of by-election defeats late last month.

 

Those results fuelled pressure on Turnbull to resolve more than a decade of battles over climate and energy policies and spur investment in new power supply, as well as to provide clarity over whether he intends to pursue corporate tax cuts despite polls showing voters oppose them.

 

Turnbull's coalition failed to win any of the five by-elections in July, defeats widely seen as an indication he faces an uphill task to be re-elected at a national poll due by May 2019.

 

(Reporting by Colin Packham; Editing by Paul Tait)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-08-13

[mfd101]

The next federal election (presumably next year, not earlier) will be a dismal choice as far as leaders go: Either the current PM (intelligent, rational, weak & politically inept) or the current Leader of the Opposition (devious, untrustworthy, tough & politically savvy).

 

Not too different from the dismal choices the Brits have presented themselves with - but, being Oz ('the Lucky Country'), it's on a less apocalyptic scale.

[BoganInParasite]

I waited a decade for Turnbull to become PM and believed and hoped he would be an outstanding one. What a disappointment. Yes in the first couple of years he was hamstrung by commitments he gave to the right of his party and attacks from ex-PM Abbott. But then starting with the massive miscalculation of the last election he has shown himself to be deficient in political judgement, moral authority and courage. And yes, alternate PMs on both sides, government and the opposition don't instill a lot of confidence either. Maybe Cormann, but he's in the wrong house. Anyway a bit academic for me now, I've withdrawn from the Australian electoral roll.

[FitnessHealthTravel]

Great! He's a complete kook and should be gone!!!

[newatthis]

6 hours ago, FitnessHealthTravel said:

Great! He's a complete kook and should be gone!!!

And you are going to replace him with?

Mfd 101 is correct.

Edited August 13, 2018 by newatthis
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[Mad mick]

Liberal nazi party have treated working people and middle class people of Australia  like sh-te Turnbull LNP must go simple as that  Do not care about pensioners , the elderly, aussie farmers etc 'amount of aussies people homeless is staggering yet we keep bringing in immigrants at the expense , $35,000. each on arrival but gave drought stricken farmers $12,000. allocated for next year ?? where is the fairness  !! that's his legacy LNP are sh- -e,  shorten maybe detested as leader but the ALP is bigger than one person

[Mad mick]

[thaibeachlovers]

18 hours ago, mfd101 said:

The next federal election (presumably next year, not earlier) will be a dismal choice as far as leaders go: Either the current PM (intelligent, rational, weak & politically inept) or the current Leader of the Opposition (devious, untrustworthy, tough & politically savvy).

 

Not too different from the dismal choices the Brits have presented themselves with - but, being Oz ('the Lucky Country'), it's on a less apocalyptic scale.

Bring back Abbott, and they have a chance.