Opinion poll finds Australian government trailing opposition

[webfact]

Opinion poll finds Australian government trailing opposition
ROD McGUIRK, Associated Press

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — With a possible early election looming, the Australian government suffered a confidence blow on Tuesday when an opinion poll showed it is trailing the opposition party for the first time since changing its leader last year.

With an election possible as early as July 2, the Newspoll published in The Australian newspaper found that support for Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's conservative coalition was behind the center-left Labor Party 49 percent to 51.

Sydney-based market researcher Newspoll publishes a survey on the major political parties' popularity every two weeks. The survey has become a reputable barometer of Australia's political mood.

When Turnbull successfully challenged his predecessor Tony Abbott for leadership of the ruling party in September, he told reporters: "We have lost 30 Newspolls in a row. It is clear that the people have made up their mind about Mr. Abbott's leadership."

Turnbull on Tuesday refused to comment on the latest Newspoll.

"I will leave the commentary on matters like that to the commentators," Turnbull told reporters.

The poll was a weekend nationwide survey of 1,743 voters. It has a 2.3 percentage point margin of error.

A Newspoll two weeks earlier found the government was ahead 51 percent to 49. The shift is within the polls' margins of error.

But the result is a blow to the ruling party's confidence as it prepares to campaign for a second three-year term in office.

Government ministers point out that the latest Newspoll shows many more voters think Turnbull would make a better prime minister than would opposition leader Bill Shorten.

On the question of who would make a better prime minister, 48 percent chose Turnbull, down 4 percentage points in two weeks. Shorten had the support of 27 percent, up 6 percentage points. Another 25 percent were uncommitted.

Senior government minister Chris Pyne blamed a "messy week" for the government in which most state leaders rejected Turnbull's plan to allow states to share the federal government's power to levy personal income tax.

The government faces tough decisions in its annual budget on May 3 since falls in prices for commodities such as iron ore and coal due to the cooling Chinese economy have cut deep into Australian tax revenues.

Abbott, who remains a government backbencher, refused to comment on the poll.


-- (c) Associated Press 2016-04-05

[tharae]

Newspoll? Not that nasty Murdoch run News Corp group?. No one believes them do they?

The Morgan Poll published today shows L-NP support is 52.5% (up 3%). ALP 47.5% (down 3%) on a two-party preferred basis. The L-NP now holds a two-party preferred lead in three Australian States with three favouring the ALP.

The LNP leads in Queensland: LNP 57.5% cf. ALP 42.5%, Western Australia: L-NP 55% cf. ALP 45%, and New South Wales: L-NP 54% cf. ALP 46%. The Morgan Poll surveys a larger sample (including people who only use a mobile phone) than any other public opinion poll.

The Morgan Poll asks Minor Party supporters which way they will vote their preferences. *News Corp’s Newspoll does not measure or reference the PUP or NXT vote! Another fail by SAS.

[oldsailor35]

This is a protest vote. The public will not forgive Malcombe Turdball for what he did to Abbott and are prepared to use any election to register their disgust for him. The only answer is for Turdball to resign and hand the leadership back to the very popular Tony Abbott, the man that they voted for in the first place. Tony , please step up to the plate !

[up2u2]

Quite right this is a Murdoch Poll. The far Right Wing propaganda media isn't all that happy with Right Wing Moderate Turnbull.

Former Prime Minister Abbott lost 30 consecutive polls that is why he got 'necked' by his own Party. His Far Right Wing Looney policies will never be accepted by the electorate. Australia is a highly educated and savy electorate far to smart to be fooled by the likes of the 'Mad Monk'. It is so good to see Abbott skulking on the Back Bench. His Party did to him what he tried to do to the most vulnerable in our community. He just got caught out in a litany of lies and deceit and if his Party didn't 'neck' him, trust me the electorate would have.

It isn't really Prime Minister Turnbull that the polls are reflecting it is more the treasurer and former Abbott 'hatchet man' Scott Morrison. He is still running the same economic agenda as Abbott tried and failed. 'it's a spending problem' so he has to dismantle public health, education, pensions, unemployment benefits, etc etc etc and at the same time give tax cuts and more handouts to business, continue the billions given out to multi millionaires laundering money through superannuation, subsidise negative gearing on millionaires with 20 investment properties, look the other way as Corporations pay ZERO tax.

Prime Minister Turnbull had to do a deal with the looney miserable Far Right Wing in his Party to get the job and 'neck' Abbott. That deal was Morrison gets Treasury so he could continue the far Right agenda. I think probably the greatest Prime Minister and Treasurer Australia ever had in its history the Honourable Paul Keating got it perfectly right " Turnbull is the cherry on top of a pile of rotting smelly compost".

Turnbull needs to get to an election as fast as he can because that stench from the looney far right deep at the bottom of the rotting compost pile is only going to become more toxic. Once the election gets under-way Turnbull is going to have to try and escape the festering hatred of former Prime Minister Abbott who will be seeking his revenge and he is one of the slimiest political back stabbers ever given birth too.

[moojar]

This is a protest vote. The public will not forgive Malcombe Turdball for what he did to Abbott and are prepared to use any election to register their disgust for him. The only answer is for Turdball to resign and hand the leadership back to the very popular Tony Abbott, the man that they voted for in the first place. Tony , please step up to the plate !

Oh my, we must live in parallel universes. In my universe, Tony Abbott had become a joke. An effective opposition leader, an awful prime minister. As popular as a turd in a fruit salad by the end.

Now Malcolm ... Malcolm is beginning to disappoint. But no way is he going to lose this year's election. And let us hope he can govern in his next term as the moderate that he is - small 'l' liberal they used to call it. At the moment he is more concerned with the loony right in his own party than he is about the opposition. Afraid to make a decision it appears.