The poll shows 57% support for Labor’s carbon emissions policy and 43% of voters in favour of negative gearing

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

Labor has maintained a 52-48, two-party preferred lead in the latest Essential poll, and also received majority support for its carbon policy.

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Respondents were told: “The Labor party recently announced their policy to tackle climate change which includes a target of reducing Australia’s carbon emissions by 45% by 2030 (compared to the Coalition government’s target of 26-28%) and introducing an emissions trading scheme”.

When the policy was described in this way, 57% of respondents were in favour and just 21% opposed.

The 52-48, two-party-preferred figure is the same as the last Essential poll released on Wednesday.

But the poll suggests voters prefer the Coalition’s policy on negative gearing, with 43% favouring negative gearing and 36% against.

Voters polled were narrowly opposed to Labor’s policy to limit negative gearing in future to tax deductions for investments on newly-built homes, with 36% in favour and 38% opposed.

Essential noted that the results of both negative gearing questions were much the same as when the question was asked in March.

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Asked what they thought the effect of limiting negative gearing would be, most said house prices would grow more slowly (31%), followed by those who thought they would fall (24%). The rest were unsure (31%) or thought prices would grow at the same rate (13%).

Malcolm Turnbull was more likely to be described as a capable leader than Bill Shorten (by a difference of 18%), judged more intelligent (by 17%) and better in a crisis (by 15%).

Shorten was more likely to be described as erratic (by 3%) and aggressive (by 5%).

But Shorten has made gains, with more voters describing him as a capable leader (up 7%), intelligent (up 4%) and understanding of Australians’ problems (up 3%).

Turnbull’s numbers have increased for narrow-minded (up 8%), intolerant (up 8%) and erratic (up 7%).

On 5 April, Labor pulled ahead of the Coalition for the first time since Tony Abbott was replaced as prime minister with a 51-49% result in Newspoll.