Voters have warmed to the prime minister's leadership after his response to the MH17 tragedy, however support for the Coalition remains unchanged

This article is more than 6 years old

This article is more than 6 years old

Voter satisfaction with Tony Abbott’s performance as prime minister has improved after his response to the downing of MH17, but Labor retains an unchanged election-winning lead, the latest Newspoll shows.



The poll, published in the Australian on Tuesday, indicated Abbott’s satisfaction rating had risen five points in a fortnight to 36% while dissatisfaction had dropped seven points to 53%, translating to a net approval score of minus 17.

The telephone poll of 1,157 voters from Friday to Sunday also showed a four-point lift in satisfaction with Bill Shorten’s performance as opposition leader to 38%. Dissatisfaction with Shorten dropped three points to 41%, producing net approval of minus 3.

The leaders were level on 38% support as preferred prime minister.

The survey period followed a week dominated by news of the shooting-down of a Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 over eastern Ukraine, killing 298 people on board, including 38 Australian citizens and residents.

Abbott initially strongly criticised Russia over the downing of the plane in an area controlled by pro-Russian separatists, but has since focused his attention on an operation to recover the victims’ bodies. The Labor opposition has backed the government's response, including sending Australian federal police officers to Europe to join a multinational effort to secure the site if safe to do so.

The increase in the personal standing of the two political leaders contrasted with steady results on voting intentions.

Primary vote support for the Coalition and Labor stood at 36% each, the Greens registered 12% and other parties and independents mustered the remaining 16%. Based on preference flows at the last federal election, Labor maintained a two-party-preferred lead of 54% to 46% – identical to the Newspoll a fortnight earlier.

The poll’s stated margin of error is up to 3%.