Newspoll: 54-46 to Labor

Malcolm Turnbull records an eight-point deterioration in his net approval rating, as Labor’s lead on voting intention widens still further.

Newspoll breaks out of its 53-47 straitjacket to record a 54-46 lead for Labor, from primary vote of Coalition 35% (down one), Labor 38% (up two), Greens 9% (down two) and One Nation 9% (up one). Leadership ratings also record substantial change for the first time a while, with Malcolm Turnbull down three on approval to 35% and up five on disapproval to 55%, and Bill Shorten down two to 34% and up three to 54%. Malcolm Turnbull leads 43-33 as preferred prime minister, down from 46-31 last time. The poll was conducted from a sample of 1675 from Thursday to Sunday. The Australian’s paywalled report here.

Author: William Bowe

William Bowe is a Perth-based election analyst and occasional teacher of political science. His blog, The Poll Bludger, has existed in one form or another since 2004, and is one of the most heavily trafficked websites on Australian politics.

920 comments on “Newspoll: 54-46 to Labor”

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  1. Who are all these people using bulk billing? I don’t know any doctor doing it or any person who gets bulked bill. I just don’t believe it is that high.

  2. The greens, like their partners the Liberals, dislike Shorten because he is leading Labor to a thumping election win.

    This makes them irrelevant.

    The greens will direct their efforts in bringing the Labor 2PP lead down, dreaming of a minority government that will never happen.

  3. Lizzie I should give you an example. Question on the republic and model. I think Shorten’s main thrust could have been better. Something along the lines of

    “Tony, I am personally open on the model that is selected. It will be up to the parliament and the people. My first goal is yes to the question on whether we should have a head of state”

  4. PeeBee

    One of the tweets running across the bottom of the screen said the bulk billing numbers were for individual services, not patients (so if my non-bulk billed consultation sparked three bulk billed referrals/services, then there would be three bulk billings recorded).

  5. Shorten is the one person in Australia who will deliver marriage equality.

    And Constitutional recognition of indigenous Australians.

  6. It’s a scroll-a-thon evening.

    What one person thinks looks (‘body language’ …) ‘shifty’ may be seen by another as simply ‘irritated’ by Tony Jones continuous inane interruptions.

    Jones just loves the availability to him to either announce “‘X’ was invited to appear but declined” or if ‘X’ appears pepper them with as many ‘gotya’ attempts as possible.

  7. Regarding the NBN. So much of the FTTN network is in such a bad state that Labor will have no choice but to replace it sooner rather than later.

  8. Some people want to be inspired but the problem is that inspiring often requires lies.

    I noted that Bill was VERY careful not to make any promise that he couldn’t keep in govt. Also, refusing to be a purveyor of sound bite politics.

  9. @desert

    I agree. Greens are a big fat mess.

    @peebee

    I live in working class western suburb of Melbourne and all the doctors are bulk billing in this region.

  10. Rex complains, but really, all he wants is 3 word slogans without nuance or honesty.

    Sorry RFex, Bill won’t fall into your cunning trap!

  11. If bulk billing is at record highs, which statement is probably based on some ‘creative’ interpretation of the statistics, that’s not what the Government wants. The Medicare co-payment was obviously intended to wind back bulk billing. Starting at $5, the copayment would have been ratcheted up year by year, way over inflation, then private insurers let in, on our way to the US health system.

    So how do you know a Liberal, National or one of their apologists is lying? Usually, their lips moving is a pretty good indication, but if they say they are committed to Medicare, that clinches it.

  12. “If Shorten is the question, the answers are 18/30 and 54/46.”

    The answer is “yes”; what are the other two questions?

  13. If bulk billing is at record highs, which statement is probably based on some creative interpretation of the statistics

    As someone Tweeted, the figure that Greg the Lying Hunt misleadingly referred to was the Bulk Billing rate for the number of procedures bulk-billed, NOT the figure for the number of patient visits to the doctor that were Bulk Billed.

  14. More trouble for LNP:

    The Australian @australian
    ·
    2h
    EXCLUSIVE: Queensland’s LNP hit with legal action forcing party to disclose source of more than $100k in donations.

  15. The straw poll on the audience about their NBN satisfaction was great. And the scrambled egg metaphor also spot on.
    It was a smarter medium term political move to avoid the temptation to say Labor would fix the mess with fibre. Unfortunately so much is baked in now, and fixing it properly doubly expensive

  16. PeeBee @ #852 Monday, August 21st, 2017 – 10:45 pm

    Who are all these people using bulk billing? I don’t know any doctor doing it or any person who gets bulked bill. I just don’t believe it is that high.

    There are a number of bulk billing places around where I live and a couple of new ones have opened recently.
    They work on volume, pushing patients through as fast as they can.
    If I had a health concern I wouldn’t go to one.

  17. For GG, if and when he turns up. Please justify this, from the SMH

    “Father Michael McArdle was reportedly so distressed by his acts of child sexual abuse in Queensland that he would often seek the succour of the confessional. Over a 25-year period, before he was convicted in 2002, he confessed to sexually assaulting children an estimated 1500 times to 30 different priests. In keeping with Catholic tradition in Australia, the priests did not report his crimes to authorities, but moved him on to different parishes, to greener pastures.”

    Evil, straight out evil, perpetrated by the Roman Paedophile Protection Society. And they think their views on marriage should take precedence over those of decent society. Deranged.

  18. ‘If I were your Prime Minister’, is how Shorten started an answer to the NK question.

    Shorten just planted The Seed.
    🙂

  19. “In an extraordinary move, the Electoral Commission of Queensland has filed the Supreme Court law suit after a two-year tussle with the LNP over its failure to reveal the identities of the donors.”.

  20. swamp rat

    “Shorten is definitely a “trees” man ………… no presentation on a vision for the “forest”.

    The Q and A ‘format’ is not a debate. There’s no 3 minute statement ‘gap’ for presentation of a ‘vision’.

    It’s a program about ‘trees’.

  21. Also Shorten’s promise of the republic referendum shines a spotlight on national identity in a way that really no other question could. Something for the whole country to aspire to, with a clear target and path forward.
    Name one policy of the current government that goes to nation building of any kind…

  22. bemused @ #885 Monday, August 21st, 2017 – 11:05 pm

    There are a number of bulk billing places around where I live and a couple of new ones have opened recently.
    They work on volume, pushing patients through as fast as they can.
    If I had a health concern I wouldn’t go to one.

    The GP I go to doesn’t bulk bill, though I still get basically that same experience. I think there are more factors involved than just whether or not an office bulk bills. Some doctors just aren’t that great.

  23. Promising to fix the NBN as if it was easy would not only be likely to bite the ALP in the arse, it would also be a lie. It’s a massive infrastructure project and would have problems even without the L-NP stuffing it up.

    It is clear Shorten plans to under promise and over deliver.

  24. Re Bulk Billing, my GP bulk bills on some days of the week, not others. There’s a medical centre down the road that bulk bills, one of the sorts that pushes patients through in quick time. I’ve gone there when I needed a quick prescription. This is on Sydney’s North Shore – there are lots of Doctors here. As for specialists, we’ll, no.

    I understand that it’s much harder to find a bulk billing GP in regional areas.

  25. a r @ #891 Monday, August 21st, 2017 – 11:10 pm

    bemused @ #885 Monday, August 21st, 2017 – 11:05 pm

    There are a number of bulk billing places around where I live and a couple of new ones have opened recently.
    They work on volume, pushing patients through as fast as they can.
    If I had a health concern I wouldn’t go to one.

    The GP I go to doesn’t bulk bill, though I still get basically that same experience. I think there are more factors involved than just whether or not an office bulk bills. Some doctors just aren’t that great.

    I agree. But when you are working with the business model the bulk billing clinics do, the time pressure is an additional negative factor.
    OK for minor things, but I wouldn’t go to one of those clinics with anything serious.

  26. I was impressed with Bill Shorten. He was interesting, open and explained things. People were listening to him. How long has it been since we have had a policy explained to us, instead of announced and foisted on us with a three-word slogan?

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