Newspoll shows opposition remains at 53% to the government’s 47% in two-party preferred terms

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

Voter support for federal Labor has remained at its highest level since Malcolm Turnbull became prime minister in September last year, the latest Newspoll shows.

But confidence in Turnbull as the best leader to manage the economy has dropped below 50% for the first time.

When the question was last asked in May, 55% of voters believed Turnbull was best to run the economy. The figure is now 48%.

Labor is still leading the government 53% to 47% on a two-party preferred basis, the Australian reports, recording the same level as the previous fortnight.

But the Coalition’s primary vote is neck-and-neck with Labor, at 38%, while support for independents is up at 14% and the Greens are static at 10%.

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Of the 1,738 voters surveyed, 43% still believe Turnbull makes a better prime minister, compared to opposition leader Bill Shorten’s 33% reading.



But 48% of those surveyed said they felt Turnbull was better at handling the economy, compared with 32% who said Shorten was the best economic manager. Shorten has gained three points since May.



The Newspoll results were taken before the final fortnight of parliament, which began on Monday.

The treasurer, Scott Morrison, started the week by admitting that the federal budget may not return to surplus by 2020-21 as planned.

He said the government would release its mid-year budget update on 19 December, with an updated projection for the likely date for a return to surplus, and stressed the 2020-21 date was a projection based on the best available numbers in the May budget.

“What I said was that the projection based on the parameters at the time was that the budget would return to balance in 2020-21,” he told the ABC.

His comments came after Deloitte Access Economics released its latest Budget Monitor, warning the federal budget deficit was projected to expand by another $24.3bn over the next four years.



In the early hours of Tuesday morning, the Senate passed the federal government’s registered organisations commission bill, one of the industrial relations bills that triggered the July double-dissolution election.

The employment minister, Michaelia Cash, called it a “massive win” for more than 2m Australians.

But Tony Burke, the shadow finance minister, said it was “extraordinary” how anything that passed through the Senate in the current parliament was called a victory.

• Reporting by Gareth Hutchens and Australian Associated Press