Galaxy Research poll shows Shorten may only pick up two marginal seats, despite devoting large part of campaign time to tight contests

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

Despite devoting most of his campaigning to crucial marginal seats in New South Wales and Queensland, Labor leader Bill Shorten may pick up only two – Brisbane’s Petrie and Rockhampton’s Capricornia – according to the Galaxy Research poll conducted for News Corp newspapers.



The ALP needs a swing of 4% to win the extra 21 seats it needs to form government.

Too many variables and too many disaffected but narrow Coalition win likely Read more

Bill Shorten is campaigning back in Queensland on Saturday, starting in Townsville where he will announce his “positive plans for Queensland”.

He’ll later head to Brisbane, where on Sunday he will front a second Labor party campaign launch – almost at the same time as the prime minister will do his in Sydney.

Turnbull is campaigning in Sydney on Saturday, spending time in his own electorate of Wentworth, in the city’s east.

But he will probably face more questions of the impact on Australia of the UK vote to leave the European Union. Many commentators say the concerns over Brexit will benefit Turnbull, especially on his message of economic stability.

On Friday Turnbull linked the issue to the election, saying Australia needed a “stable majority coalition government” to withstand global headwinds and challenges.

Shorten said Australia could withstand any fallout from Brexit, just as the Rudd government saw the nation through the global financial crisis.

Rallies in support of same-sex marriage will be held in several cities around the country on Saturday, and Turnbull’s support of a plebiscite will again come in focus.

Turnbull, who supports legalising same-sex marriage, will likely come under pressure again, especially following reports conservative coalition MPs may stymie the ultimate vote in the parliament.

Fairfax media on Saturday reported there was a push to give conservative MPs and senators express permission to vote against reform if their individual electorates had voted in a majority for “no” in the plebiscite scheduled for after the election.

However, attorney-general George Brandis denied the reports.

“That report is false. There have been no ‘backroom talks between attorney-general George Brandis and disgruntled conservative MPs’ and there is no such understanding,” he said.

Turnbull told the ABC’s 7.30 Report on Friday night he had no doubt the legislation would pass parliament, despite MPs and senators being given a free vote on the matter.

Meanwhile, former PM Paul Keating will attend a rally alongside Labor frontbencher Anthony Albanese in his inner-Sydney seat of Grayndler.

The Greens have Albanese’s seat in their sights.