Labor retains a 53-47 lead in two-party-preferred terms, despite the Coalition’s attempts to break new ground on several policy fronts

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

The Turnbull government remains stuck behind Labor, trailing 53 points to 47 in two-party-preferred terms in Monday’s Newspoll, despite a string of policy changes since the May budget.

Labor also leads the Coalition on primary votes, 37 points to 36, although Malcolm Turnbull has maintained his lead as preferred prime minister over Bill Shorten in the poll of 1,786 respondents, conducted from Thursday to Sunday.

The poll confirms the government has not received a poll bounce despite populist measures in the May budget, such as the big bank tax, a renewed focus on traditional Coalition strengths of citizenship, migration and terrorism, and policy changes in schools funding, energy and the environment.

The Newspoll results are consistent with Guardian’s Essential poll, which found after the budget the Coalition had narrowed the gap slightly to 52-48, where it has since remained.

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The Newspoll found One Nation had lifted its primary vote by two points to 11%, and the Greens had dropped back a point to 9%.

Some 44% prefer Turnbull as prime minister, compared with 31% who want Shorten. Disapproval of Shorten crept up by two points to 55% while his approval was 32%, giving him a net approval rating of minus 23.

Approval of Turnbull fell by three points to 32%, while disapproval crept up to 55% for a net approval rating identical to the opposition leader.

The poll came after the Finkel review recommended a clean energy target and the energy and environment minister, Josh Frydenberg, faced a grilling in the Coalition party room on Tuesday about the future of coal and the target’s effect on electricity prices.

The clean energy target has caused division in the Coalition, with Tony Abbott warning it amounts to a tax on coal and MP George Christensen signalling he will not vote for it.

Last week the government was on the front foot on citizenship, calling on Labor to support its package of changes and arguing new arrivals needed to “join us as Australian patriots”.

The proposed laws would give the immigration minister, Peter Dutton, the power to reject decisions on citizenship applications made by the Administrative Appeals Tribunal if he does not believe they are in the national interest.

The government is also attempting to boost its stocks by negotiating its schools funding package past the Senate crossbench.

The package attempts to implement needs-based school funding first proposed by the Gillard Labor government, but has caused concern from the Catholic sector that it would redistribute funding away from its schools.

The Australian Education Union has refused to drop objections to the package despite concessions won by the Greens, making it likely the Greens will block the package and the government will need 10 of 12 crossbench votes to pass it, or 11 votes if retiring Liberal senator Chris Back makes good on his threat to block it.