Newspoll state leadership polling and Essential Research coronavirus latest

State-level polling finds the coronavirus tide lifting all boats — but none so far as Mark McGowan in WA, whose numbers may be without precedent.

The Australian ($) today provides Newspoll findings on state leaders’ handling of the coronavirus, from samples of around 520 for each mainland state plus 309 for Tasmania. The poll finds all concerned riding high, including three who strongly outperformed Scott Morrison’s ballyhooed 68% approval and 28% disapproval on the weekend. These are WA Labor Premier Mark McGowan, at 89% approval and 6% disapproval; Tasmanian Liberal Premier Peter Gutwein, at 84% approval and 11% disapproval after three months in the job; and Victorian Labor Premier Daniel Andrews, at 75% approval and 17% disapproval.

Morrison was also matched on approval and bettered on net approval by NSW Liberal Premier Gladys Berejiklian (69% approval and 23% disapproval) and SA Liberal Premier Steven Marshall (68% approval and 21% disapproval). Only Queensland Labor Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, who faces an election in October, was below the prime ministerial par (55% approval and 39% disapproval). With due allowance for small samples, I believe McGowan’s ratings may be a record for Newspoll, or indeed for any other Australian pollster, and that Gutwein’s might have been too if not for McGowan’s.

The leaders record even stronger ratings on the specific question of handling the coronavirus outbreak: 77% rate Berejiklian as having done well, compared with 18% for badly; Andrews is at 85% and 11%; Palaszczuk is at 72% and 23%; McGowan is at 94% and 4%; Marshall is at 82% and 11%; and Gutwein is at 89% and 8%. Equivalent results are also provided for the Prime Minister, and here too Western Australians are most positive, at 73% approval and 23% disapproval, with 85% rating Morrison had handled coronavirus well compared with 14% for badly. In New South Wales, Morrison scored 67% approval and 30% disapproval, and 82% well and 16% badly for coronavirus; in Victoria, 72% approval and 26% disapproval, 83% well and 14% badly; in Queensland, 67% approval and 28% disapproval, 81% well and 17% badly; in South Australia, 70% approval and 27% disapproval, 83% well and 15% badly; and in Tasmania, 64% approval and 31% disapproval, 81% well and 18% badly.

As reported in The Guardian, the weekly Essential Research coronavirus poll provides us with a third set of small-sample findings on mainland state governments’ handling of the crisis, ranging from about 80 respondents in South Australia to 320 in New South Wales. The latest results produce combined very good and good ratings of 77% for the Victorian and South Australian governments, 76% for Western Australia, 67% for Queensland and 63% for New South Wales. The table below records the progress of this series over its three weeks, together with an averaged result which again shows Western Australia highest at 77%, followed by 74% for Victoria, 72% for South Australia, 61% for Queensland and 60% for New South Wales.

Essential Research also finds confidence in the federal government’s handling of the crisis continuing to rise, with 70% rating it good or very good, a measure that earlier progressed from 45% in late March to 65% last week. Seventy-three per cent now say they consider themselves unlikely to catch the virus, compared with 57% at the peak of concern at the end of March. In response to a list of options for budget repair, 64% supported preventing companies in offshore tax havens from receiving goverment support, but only 32% favoured removing franking credits and negative gearing, and 18% supported death duties.

On the COVIDSafe app, the weekend’s Newspoll found 21% saying they would definitely take it up, 33% that they would probably do so, 21% that they would probably not, and 18% that they would definitely not. Apart from the lower uncommitted rating, this is broadly in line with an Australia Institute poll of 1011 respondents on Thursday and Friday which had 45% saying they would and 28% that they wouldn’t. Essential Research also weighed in on the question, and found 53% saying it would limit the spread of the virus, and 46% that it would speed removal of distancing restrictions. A full set of results from Essential Research should be with us later today.

UPDATE: Full Essential Research 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.

3,040 comments on “Newspoll state leadership polling and Essential Research coronavirus latest”

Comments Page 53 of 61
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  1. KayJay

    He can be found lolloping along the front of the house every morning just after dawn, occasionally raising on his hinders to gaze at the windows. I thought he was too fat to get through the wire into the side garden. Sigh.

  2. Player One – 🐘

    Lizzie – Lolloping – you don’t get many lollops to a sentence these days. 🐘

    Rakali – For crime detection – 🐘

    Youse lot are too fast for me. I’m off to a warm bed to read and recuperate from the wealth of “Wellness” contained in BK’s morning reports. 😎

  3. Just had some ‘pandemic food’. Stinging nettles were shooting up in the vegie patch. Used scissors to clip the tips straight into a microwave safe container, washed them and put container into the microwave until nettles were limp. Tasted a bit like spinach.

    Now if only the sting would leave my mouth!

    The previous sentence is BS, no damage done to mouth as the stings are all destroyed.

  6. PeeBee

    Unfortunately although I know they’re “good food”, I don’t have any nettles in my large and weedy block (weedy being in the eye of the beholder). When I was at primary school my mother fed me stinging nettle tea for several months “to improve my blood”. They grew plentifully over the septic tank outflow! She used to give me a spoonful of jam afterwards to get rid of the sickly taste and it took me decades to try them as a veg. Not bad really.
    At school we used to sing a madrigal which went something like “Bravely with mettle if you grasp the nettle.” The moral of that isn’t bad!

  7. Lizzie, nettle tea.. Very interesting. Apparently they are full of vitamin c, so your mother may have been onto something. The ones I ate were very fresh, from Plant to mouth, 5 minutes.

    I was surprised that they didn’t have a nasty taste. But I suppose they don’t have to waste energy producing unnecessary chemicals to deter herbivores as the stings do a bloody good job. So much so, I’m thinking of putting some in pots and tying them to trees that the possums are destroying.

  11. NSW
    8,800 + tests
    5 positive – 2 at Newmarche 3 origin currently unknown
    0 deaths
    109 being treated 28 in hospital
    14 in ICU 12 Ventilated

    Minister Hazzard making old white male sexist comments during press
    conference
    Rapid test “Gen expert” now has more availability @ 600 p.w.
    (3 weeks ago NSW got 5% of the first global availability which was a total of 400)

  18. Political manipulation and confused messaging galore.

    1. Morrison insists that there will be no relaxation of restrictions unless enough people buckle to his demand to download the app and be be Big Daddy’s good little children. We will get ‘an early mark.’

    2. Hunt announces that the minimum target is 40%.

    3. Health officials state that even 20% would be good.

    4. Different states announce relaxations of restrictions at different times, apparently without any reference to Morrison’s App uptake ‘early mark’ benchmark.

    5. There are now 3.5 million downloads.

    6. To get to 40% will need 10 million downloads.

    7. Technical uncertainty and related messaging about where the data goes, sits, gets uploaded, downloaded and accessed continue.

    8. The Coalition lead on IT matters, is Robert. When it comes to trusting the Government on the App, the benchmark for trust and integrity is Minister Robert.

    Robert and his missues both landed a free gift $50,000 gold Rolex watch from a Chinese donor. Nice work if you can get it. Robert did not add it the Parliamentary assets register. He did not report the gift.
    Robert lied about a non-existent cyber attack on Centrelink. The cyber attack did not happen.
    Robert secretly used over $30,000 of taxpayer monies to fund a private home-based IT business venture. One hopes it did not crash on him.
    Robert took a mobile phone into China – a cyber security no-no of monumental proportions.
    Robert was sacked as minister for some colourful advocacy involving chinese investment in a friend’s gold mine. Naturally, after the usual routine goldfish period, Robert has been promoted right back into the ministry by Morrison. Hallelujah, brother!
    Robert has been linked personally to a convicted rapist whose company (which lacks any record of providing medical supplies) mysteriously obtained a substantial government medical supplies contract with the routine Coalition approach to probity, conflict of interest issues, competition principles, nepotism and transparency. We’re all in the Virus fight together.
    Robert was involved in Robocop which systematically bastardized Centrelink clients and which is now subject to a class action, said action being based on Robocop being illegal.
    While there is no evidence that Robert himself authorized illegal expenditure, Roberts remains a Cabinet minister which includes other Cabinet ministers who authorized billions in spending without Constitutional authority so to do – in many cases with the routine Coalition approach to probity, conflict of interest issues, competition principles, nepotism and transparency. Robert has never publicly expressed doubt or misgivings about these approvals.

    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/01/morrison-says-early-mark-of-eased-restrictions-depends-on-uptake-of-covidsafe-tracing-app

  23. Want to make a million dollars with no effort?
    Vote Liberal.

    Greg Hunt
    @GregHuntMP
    · 1h
    Want to go to the footy?
    Download the app.

  28. Greg Hunt
    @GregHuntMP
    · 1h
    Want to go to the footy?
    Download the app.
    —————-
    Does that mean if don’t want to go to the footy, You don’t download the app?

  30. Bob Lynch

    Regarding You Gov Scotland poll Labor is reaping what they sowed in Scotland for not being pro Brexit.
    —————
    And also not being pro independence while being pro austerity.

  31. I’ve been urging Labor to put up candidates other than union hacks. – and so they have in Kristy McBain.

    We’re told she is un-aligned and I hope that’s true.

    She has apparently been a very good hands-on and an effective mayor throughout the very difficult summer just past.

    So I wish her well and I hope, if she is elected, she is not sidelined by the factions and deadwood currently propping themselves up in leadership positions.

  33. Rakali @ #2628 Saturday, May 2nd, 2020 – 1:14 pm

    Greg Hunt
    @GregHuntMP
    · 1h
    Want to go to the footy?
    Download the app.
    —————-
    Does that mean if don’t want to go to the footy, You don’t download the app?

    Look, that tweet is an insult to any conscious Australian.

    Therefore, it will be very effective.

  34. Frednk
    I think it is impossible to add an Australian political dimension to that very tragic story but you tried
    I am both impressed and disgusted

  39. BK, thanks again for the Dawn Patrol.

    Note, I have been using the HootSuite app on my tablet/ phone for a while now to post across social media platforms.
    However, it is only recently that I noticed that the search option seems to get around most paywalls …

    Hope this helps you and others!

    J

  40. Scotland are less than 9% of the population of the UK. London has almost double in size.

    The only two things that make them of any higher importance than another part of the UK is the North Sea oil & gas fields and HM Naval Base Clyde.

  41. Have to say I’ve only been into town once since installing the app a week-ish ago.

    ScoMo is not doing himself any favours by treating Australians as children over this app, and also by failing to pass legislation covering it and keeping the source code confidential.

    Not that I particularly care what happens to him politically – in fact I’m keen for him to fail. But as far as the app’s concerned I want to see it succeed. So, one part of me hopes it does well, but the little devil on my shoulder wouldn’t mind seeing it it die a death.

    I’ve seen the download figures, and they are not encouraging for the pro-appers. I agree that it won’t be much use without at least a 10 million uptake. There are roughly 15-16 million mobile phones in Australia, but I can’t see all of them participating. So the app is not – cannot be – a panacea.

    The real question is whether it can be of some use in tracking down some of the last remnants of C-19 here. I don’t subscribe to the school of thought that says “It’s not perfect, so why download it?”.

    I also believe ScoMo wouldn’t dare to misuse the information after so many assurances of its innocence and compliance with privacy. I’m not arguing he wouldn’t be tempted. I’m simply arguing that he’s not politically suicidal.

    But if he wants punters to have a bet on his app he does need to lighten up a little and put the quasi threats to one side. As much as he (and his media boosters) like to make out the contrary, he does NOT run Australia, and he is NOT Father Of The Nation.

  42. Ryan Struyk‏Verified account @ryanstruyk

    Reported US coronavirus cases:

    Mar. 1: 89 cases
    Apr. 1: 212,692 cases
    Right now : 1,103,461 cases

    Reported US coronavirus deaths

    9 weeks ago: 0 deaths
    1 week ago: 51,017 deaths
    Right now: 64,943 deaths

  44. Am I the only one wondering whether there will be a cluster of covid-19 (mild, mind you) in Tamworth in the next couple of weeks, now that Dutton has approved the arrival of the New Zealand football players.

    I’m sure that the people of Tamworth and NSW are confident that the author of the Ruby Princess disaster will protect them when the 36-person team arrives for 14 days of quarantine and training. There is the greater threat when the crowds start gathering at football venues around the country.

    The influence of the football lobby in this country is truly sickening. All of the news of the resumption of the NRL is coming from the NRL and not from the government. Morrison hasn’t said much, apparently learning from his fiasco statement of “going to the footy.” The NRL and apparently the sinking Foxtel are a law unto themselves.

    You would think that NSW Health Minister Hazzard might have said one word about Dutton’s decision to admit the Warriors today. But no, unless I missed it in the Q and A not covered by the ABC.

    At this stage in the pandemic there is absolutely no justification for starting the football season.

  46. But Diabetes Australia is warning users of certain monitoring systems that COVIDSafe could cause problems.

    “We have received reports from a number of people with diabetes who have downloaded the Australian Government COVIDSafe app to their smartphone that they have experienced connection problems with their continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) apps,” the non-profit said in a Facebook post.

    “We have advised the Department of Health that there may be an issue.”

    https://www.smh.com.au/technology/covidsafe-may-interfere-with-diabetes-monitoring-apps-20200501-p54oyd.html

  47. [Am I the only one secretly hoping that there will be a cluster of covid-19 (mild, mind you) in Tamworth in the next couple of weeks, now that Dutton has approved the arrival of the New Zealand football players.]

    Yes – I don’t think many (or maybe any) people wish Covid upon others.

  49. CC

    [PB seems quiet today.. is everyone off at a rave party?]

    Maybe people are waiting your swashbuckling arrival, telling us what’s what and running your opponents through.

  50. beguiledagain

    Re the thumbs up for the footy team to come here. Same day in an NZ paper they reported a woman was given permission to come to Australia from NZ to see her dying sister. She had made four previous attempts before fecking Dutton’s DHA gave her permission.Shame she wasn’t a rugby league player, would have been here long ago.Or better yet , hopped on a Plague Ship.
    ……………………………………………………………………………
    A New Zealand woman has been given special permission to travel to Australia to care for her dying sister.

    New Zealand-based retired nurse Christine Archer was granted the travel exemption today after four previous applications to the Department of Home Affairs were rejected, Australia’s ABC reported.
    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12329039

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