Labor’s lead over the Coalition has shrunk according to the latest federal Newspoll, which reverses the gains the opposition made in the previous survey.



The Newspoll published in the Australian newspaper on Tuesday shows primary vote support for the Liberal-National Coalition rose two points to 41% and Labor’s first-preference support dropped four points to 35%, with the Greens’ vote rising one point to 11%.

The distribution of preferences put Labor on 51%, down three points since the previous survey a fortnight ago, while the Coalition’s two-party vote rose three points to 49%.

The movements in the scores of the major parties – both on primary and two-party-preferred measures – are equivalent to the shift in the other direction recorded in the previous Newspoll a fortnight ago. This suggests the last poll was an aberration.

The Australian said the latest poll of 1,136 voters had been taken at the weekend and had a margin of error of about three points.

It shows approval of Tony Abbott rose two points to 38% and disapproval dropped two points to 50%, giving the prime minister a net approval rating of minus 12%.

Approval of the opposition leader, Bill Shorten, dropped two points to 33% and disapproval rose four points to 43%, producing a net approval rating of minus 10%. Abbott led Shorten as preferred prime minister 42% to 36%.

The previous fortnight was dominated by debate over the future of Qantas, with Labor accusing Abbott of failing to stand up for Australian jobs and the Coalition opting to remove foreign ownership restrictions rather than to offer the national carrier a debt guarantee.

A columnist for the Australian, Peter Brent, wrote on 25 February that the previous Newspoll showing a Labor lead at 54% was “probably rogue”.