Essential Research leadership ratings

Scott Morrison records a preferred prime minister lead for the first time this year, although his personal ratings remain in net negative territory.

Essential Research continues to disappoint on the voting intention front, but its latest fortnightly poll does include its monthly leadership ratings, which record a recovery in Scott Morrison’s personal standing after the battering it copped during the bsuhfires. Morrison now leads Anthony Albanese 40-35 as preferred prime minister after being tied 36-36 in the last poll, which his first lead out of the six sets of results published so far this year (three apiece from Essential and Newspoll). His approval rating is up two to 41% and disapproval down three to 49%, while Albanese is respectively steady on 41% and up two to 33%.

As related by The Guardian, the poll also finds 71% want investigations into sports rorts to continue, but I suspect that should actually say 51%, as 43% favoured the alternative option that the resignation of Sports Minister Bridget McKenzie should be the end of the matter. The poll also has the unsurprising finding that concern about coronavirus is growing, although we will have to wait for the publication of the full report later today to see by how much.

Other questions produce familiar findings on energy sources (71% favour further taxpayer research into renewables, compared with 57% for hydrogen, 50% for “clean coal” and 38% for nuclear energy) and economic management (the Coalition was rated better overall, but was also seen to favour big business whereas Labor was better at managing the economy to benefit workers). The poll was conducted from 1096 respondents from an online panel, no doubt from Thursday to Sunday.

UPDATE: Full report here. It turns out the poll doesn’t really find an increase in concern about coronavirus over the past month: there’s a two point increase in “very concerned” to 27%, but a five point drop in “quite concerned” to 36%, a two point rise in “not all that concerned” to 28% and a three point increase in “not at all concerned” to 9%. I’d have been interested to see breakdowns by party support on this – Democrats in the US are far more concerned than Republicans – but no such luck.

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.

3,649 comments on “Essential Research leadership ratings”

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  1. This gave me a chuckle……

    Stephen Koukoulas
    @TheKouk
    ·
    Mar 14
    The Vicar of Dibley government:
    Budget deficit? No no no no yes
    Bushfires a problem? No no no no yes
    Cash payments to prevent recession? No no no no yes
    Get tested for coronavirus: No no no no yes

  2. Diogenes @ #3593 Sunday, March 15th, 2020 – 9:06 pm

    GG
    “What are you doing to help everyone deal with this situation from a professional POV?”

    We have
    1. cancelled non urgent surgery
    2. Cancelled all cosmetic stuff
    3. Very stringent surface cleaning
    4. Extensive use of teleconferencing
    5. Putting in dissolvable sutures so no post op appointment needed
    6. Removed half chairs in waiting room for social distancing
    7. Ensure only urgent follow ups seen
    8. Maximising working from home
    9. Screening all staff and patients clinically plus temperature
    10. Taking emergency patients from the public hospitals without charging
    11. Splitting staff into separate teams

    And that’s just for starters

    It’s been a busy few days

    I’m genuinely impressed.

    Cheers.

  3. LR

    Australia needs those test kits handed out, like, right now.

    Immediate testing of everyone with symptoms and a random sample of 20,000 or so just to get a handle on what’s really out there. Also test everyone in health care, every teacher, everyone with a class of some sort and older people. If you had hundreds of thousands of tests then get people to sign up and make it a bit of a lottery for low risk cases.

  4. “Australia needs those test kits handed out, like, right now.”

    Genuinely curious – anyone know what the processing of these involves?

    I could imagine that being as much of a problem as getting the kits.

  5. Who irons their underwear!?!

    I don’t even iron my linen shirts and pants any more. They just get crumpled anyway!

  6. Zoidlord @ #3604 Sunday, March 15th, 2020 – 9:14 pm

    @Cud

    Not gonna happen,

    Scumo like Trump will do nothing.

    Just a reminder what’s happening in the cyber world.

    https://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/news/252480051/Ransomware-attack-hits-Champaign-Urbana-Public-Health-District

    I was kind of thinking along similar lines today. As in, wouldn’t now be the perfect time for a major terrorist attack, while most Western governments especially, are distracted with C-19?

  7. C@t:

    My grandmother used to iron tea towels, sheets, and pillow cases. I iron only when absolutely necessary, and clothes only.

  8. GG
    We’ve got a good team. I’m not sure how much of a difference it will make though but I wanted to be able to say we did everything we could.

  9. Releasing low-risk prisoners is not yet part of government plans to limit the spread of the coronavirus in “grossly overcrowded” prisons, according to the Prison Officers Association.

    From The Guardian c19 blog. So I’m guessing this is the UK.

  10. Diogenes

    but I wanted to be able to say we did everything we could.

    Which is all anyone could ask of your crew. Fingers crossed it is enough to see you through.

  11. Confessions
    What’s an iron? 🙂

    Rakali @ #3448 Sunday, March 15th, 2020 – 8:01 pm

    The UK Government is not testing for the virus except in hospitals.
    To “protect” the elderly from the virus which the UK Government is not going to fight, all people over 70 are going to be asked to “self isolate” for FOUR MONTHS!

    How is that going to work?

    https://www.thenational.scot/news/18306136.coronavirus-over-70s-asked-self-isolate-four-months/

    This is part of the text on The Guardian, on this.

    Our generation has never been tested like this. Our grandparents were, during the Second World War, when our cities were bombed during the Blitz.

    I struggle to understand a nation stuck so far in the past.

  12. https://blog.csiro.au/clamping-down-disease-x/

    Interesting take on Australian research.

    Explains “molecular clamp” in normal person comprehensible terms. Fwark this will be a powerful tool, well beyond the current crisis if it works as hoped.

    Well demonstrates the value of University based research and CSIRO’s role in turning research into real stuff. I seethe with quiet and barely suppressed homicidal rage when i see things like CSIRO de-funded. 🙁

  13. Oakeshott Country @ #3535 Sunday, March 15th, 2020 – 7:53 pm

    So CC you are saying the true rate of infection in China is 2000000!
    In that case the mortality rate is 0.15% – less than influenza.

    Btw I drove from Terrigal to where you want to put the station at Tuggerah at 10am on a Sunday (today). It took 30 minutes using the Tumbi Umbi shortcut and 10kph above the limit. In peak hour using the CC Hwy, not speeding and with say 10 bus stops it would take a minimum of on hour. Not going to work for a commuter.

    Terrigal is south of Gosford (and east, of course). As I understand it, CC’s plan also involves a station on a branch line to Gosford. Commuters from Terrigal drive or catch a bus to Gosford now. I am pretty sure they would be prepared to do the same to catch a train that took 40 rather than 90 minutes to get to the city.

  14. C@tmomma:

    [‘Who irons their underwear!?!’]

    In my day we were required to iron our underwear (boxer shorts) in order to pass kit muster, giving rise to OCD. When admiral’s rounds were to take place, we were on a high state of alert, he (there we no female admirals in my days) wearing white gloves to assess the dust. It was very troublesome. For example, unless I do a perfect job, I don’t attempt to do so. I can’t now due to advanced age.

  15. “They are making the flu vaccine available early for that reason.”

    Dio.. you should tell my doctor that. He didn’t have a clue.

  16. Freedom of movement will be “massively limited” in Austria as part of new drastic measures to fight the spread of covid-19.

    Chancellor Sebastian Kurz announced the measures would include closing playgrounds and sports grounds across the Alpine state from Tuesday.

    Non-essential shops, restaurants and bars in Austria will also close. Travel restrictions will be further tightened, with border checks imposed between Austria and Switzerland, people no longer allowed to enter the country from Great Britain, the Netherlands, Ukraine and Russia.

    from the guardian

  17. I was in the ………this is a bad flu type thing…… and will pass keep your knickers on……..camp.

    Ok, changed my mind as the actual on the ground evidence has come in. Was somewhat incorrect on that. 🙁 Yup, there is still a lot of bullshit and hype around, but the combined health, social and economic effects of this mean its bad, getting worse, and will have months to run.

    That said, its no species cull, end of the civilized world event ( if we can separate Trump from all twitter access?? ) and i’m somewhat optimistic Science is coming through for us on this one. The news is not all doom and gloom.

  18. There are likely to be quite a few people arriving in Australia tonight who have no idea they have to self isolate. I’m sure airlines will be advising passengers in flight for those flying in tonight and tomorrow.

  19. I wonder if you can arrive and choose to turn around and leave Australia rather than self isolate? I’m thinking of people arriving for conferences or for work who planned to only be here for a few days, not 2 weeks.

  20. How many of the retired doctors and health workers the UK wants to recruit back into the work force if/when their herd immunity experiment goes tits up, and the system tanks, will be over 70 and self isolating.

  21. “There are likely to be quite a few people arriving in Australia tonight who have no idea they have to self isolate.”

    Going to cause initial Kaos. People arriving with nowhere too self isolate, short term accommodation, hey….people picking up a camper van??

    And what happens AT the airport?? Everyone have to say what their self isolation plan is and if they have none, what then?? Of to internment on sunny Xmas Island??

  22. Yabba

    Terrigal is south of Gosford (and east, of course). As I understand it, CC’s plan also involves a station on a branch line to Gosford. Commuters from Terrigal drive or catch a bus to Gosford now. I am pretty sure they would be prepared to do the same to catch a train that took 40 rather than 90 minutes to get to the city.

    Yep, I pointed that out in my reply above.

    It would take 30 minutes from Gosford HSR station to both the CBD and to Parramatta.
    25 minutes from Woy Woy station.

    From the point of view of southbound travel, Woy Woy station is the feed point for everything south of Brisbane Water plus Empire Bay, Killcare etc. Up to about Avoca Beach. Gosford is the most convenient for Erina, Terrigal and depending on the timing, up to Bateau Bay.

    Those further north including Tumbi Umbi, Tuggerah, Wyong, Gorokan and up to Wyee (basically around the shores of Tuggerah Lake and Lake Munmorah are going to find Tuggerah HSR station the better connection.

    There’s also two services per hour headed south from Morisset station (the existing one).

    If you’re headed south from Newcastle then you get to Gosford either by taking an all stops conventional train (which will still be as fast as the existing limited stops train thanks to line improvements) or if you’re in a hurry, you go Tuggerah and take the express bus to Gosford. Similarly there will be express buses taking you to Terrigal/Avoca or The Entrance or towards Wyong/Gorokan. You can also get from Newcastle to Gosford by taking HSR to Hornsby and then doubling back to Gosford (still faster than the conventional train).

    In all there are four stations relevant to the central Coast

    – Gosford (a brand new station a few minutes walk south of the present station)
    – Woy Woy (a rebuild of the existing station)
    – Tuggerah (a brand new station near the M1/Wyong Road interchange)
    – Morisset (a platform at the existing station)

  23. ItzaDream @ #3621 Sunday, March 15th, 2020 – 8:31 pm

    The support services needed to reasonably require self isolation of everyone over 70 is staggering.

    I’ll volunteer to help distribute supplies, if it comes to that.

    Actually been wondering if a split approach could make sense. Quarantine/self-isolate the high risk groups, and the let low risk groups go about their business. Before long the low risk people are immune and (presumably) no longer viable carriers of the virus. The high risk groups can leave isolation when that’s confirmed or whenever a vaccine is available, whichever comes first.

  24. imacca

    A lot of self isolating people who only booked a few nights in a hotel room are going to cause conniptions for the hotels themselves.

  25. imacca @ #3635 Sunday, March 15th, 2020 – 9:55 pm

    “There are likely to be quite a few people arriving in Australia tonight who have no idea they have to self isolate.”

    Going to cause initial Kaos. People arriving with nowhere too self isolate, short term accommodation, hey….people picking up a camper van??

    And what happens AT the airport?? Everyone have to say what their self isolation plan is and if they have none, what then?? Of to internment on sunny Xmas Island??

    Hmm, I wonder if Morrison will have to consider opening some of those onshore Immigration Centres the Coalition ostentatiously closed down when they came to power? 🙂

  26. My son had a close friend who had planned to go to NZ for a week. That’s all been thrown in the bin now. As has the money she had already paid for the airfares and accommodation.

  27. CC Parking at Gosford commuter parking area is free, provided that you commute. The Opal machines figure out whether you have travelled by train, and don’t charge you if you have.

    Parking in Gosford is much harder since the Taxation department offices opened. They have a security guard vetting people trying to use the Leagues club parking area.

  28. yabba

    Just practical reality. You can build a couple of thousand parking spaces with a HSR station but that can never cope with more than a fraction of its users. You have to have an efficient express bus network. So it makes sense to charge an amount for the use of the parking – we’re talking $10 a day or thereabouts. Just enough to send a signal.

    You’re also going to in practice end up with a distributed parking network where car parks follow express bus stops. Its going to happen whether its planned or not.

    Eventually the problem will be mostly solved by autonomous vehicles dropping you off at a station and then driving themselves either home or back to a car park. Even here you still need some proportion of people using the bus network – otherwise you create localised congestion issues.

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