Newspoll: 50-50

Back to level pegging in Newspoll, as Scott Morrison cops a dent in his still healthy personal approval and preferred prime minister ratings.

After blowing out to 53-47 in favour of the Coalition two Newspolls ago, the latest result, courtesy of The Australian, has two-party preferred back at 50-50. The Coalition is down two on the primary vote to 41% and Labor is up three to 36%, with the Greens steady on 11% and One Nation down one to 3%. Similarly, Scott Morrison’s still-healthy personal ratings are down on the last three weeks ago, with approval at 64% (down four) and disapproval on 32% (up three). Anthony Albanese is up on both approval, by two points to 43%, and disapproval, by three points to 41%. Morrison’s lead as preferred prime minister is now 58-29, in from 60-25. The poll also includes a finding that “80 per cent of Australians support border ­closures if the health situation demands it”, which I’ll go into in greater detail when I see the full results.

UPDATE: The wording to the latter question was, “do you think premiers should have the authority to close their borders or restrict entry of Australians who live in other states”, which drew responses of 80% yes and 18% no. State breakdowns: 76-22 in New South Wales, 74-23 in Victoria, 84-15 in Queensland, 92-5 in South Australia and 91-7 in Western Australia, from respective samples of 475, 371, 311, 119 and 146. The overall sample of the poll was 1507, and it was conducted from Wednesday to Saturday.

UPDATE 2 (Tuesday): Today The Australian brings further findings on attitudes to the leaders, specifically that Scott Morrison is rated as experienced by 79% and Anthony Albanese by 63%; Morrison is reckoned to have a vision for Australia by 72% compared with 52% for Albanese; and that Morrison is rated arrogant by 46% and Albanese by 37%. In all three cases, Morrison’s ratings have improved by either 11% or 12% since the questions were last posed in December, which is fairly typical of such polling in closely tracking the leader’s overall approval rating.

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.

1,221 comments on “Newspoll: 50-50”

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  2. What a precious petal Clive Palmer is, for the purposes of litigation.

    “ Mr Sophocles said Mr McGowan had refused to apologise and kept making public comments about Mr Palmer, even after a letter was sent seeking an apology on August 4.

    “[Mr Palmer] has been brought into hatred, ridicule and contempt and has suffered and continues to suffer loss and damage to his reputation and injury to his feelings,” he said.”

    https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/injury-to-his-feelings-details-of-palmer-s-defamation-suit-against-mcgowan-revealed-20200901-p55r9x.html

  4. Labor have a new candidate in Kimberley, Divina D’Anna.

    https://thewest.com.au/politics/state-politics/wa-labor-picks-broome-woman-divina-danna-to-replace-josie-farrer-as-likely-kimberley-mp-ng-b881654107z

    (Paywalled, but y’know, there are ways. 😉 )

    Assuming she wins, Kimberley will continue its run of having an Aboriginal MP since 1980, and a female one since 2001, which must be some kind of record. Has any other seat, even in the NT, continuously elected Aboriginal MPs for that long?

  5. William, did you hear about the two Fremantle academics who were manhandled, injured and humiliated by local Rozzers outside the Esplanade Hotel last year or the year before?

    They received a handsome settlement, over a million dollars.

    It almost covered their legal bills.

  6. When dealing with the police my long held policy is to mention a current high ranking policeman, a captain or deputy commissioner, as soon as you engage and claim that they are a cousin. Just in an offhand way. Do you know my cousin, Captain so and so? It’s amazing how well you are treated.

  7. William Bowe @ #1094 Tuesday, September 1st, 2020 – 6:36 pm

    I was required to put my hands up against his vehicle and submit myself to a search, since the young officer suspected my neatly dressed, well-spoken, late forty-something self of roaming the neighbourhood slashing car tyres. In other news, I observe that the WA Liberal Party today announced an innovative new policy to let loose yet more of these power-drunk young idiots on to our streets, despite generally declining crime rates (burglary, car theft and property damage reports all down by about a quarter under the current government).

    Like the time I was in Northbridge and a few cops formed a slow-walking row across the footpath in front of us, moving in the same direction as us.

    I excused myself to go around one, a huge young body-builder type. He deliberately stopped short, so I gently touched him as I brushed past, and said “sorry, ‘scuse me”.

    I got a “move-on” order. When I pointed out that my contact with him was accidental and in fact was caused by his sudden stopping, he said (and no I’m not making this up), “well it could be argued that you weren’t maintaining a safe braking distance”.

  8. nath:

    Tuesday, September 1, 2020 at 6:35 pm

    [‘William when will you release me from these shackles? Don’t be an online police officer!’]

    I’m with nath. Please release him from moderation. He’s done his time in Coventry.

  11. William Bowe @ #1101 Tuesday, September 1st, 2020 – 6:43 pm

    Duly noted, Shellbell. My formal complaint went unanswered.

    Well, further to my story above, my complaint (amazingly) went before the anti-corruption commission! (Forget the exact name of that body). When I attended for the interview, I was informed that Constable xxxx xxxxxx was no longer a member of the force, and the experienced sergeant quietly suggested, off the record, that that was probably for the best.

  13. nath

    “ Do you know my cousin, Captain so and so? It’s amazing how well you are treated.”
    ————
    I’d be surprised if it worked as Australian police forces have nobody with the rank of “Captain”.

    You watch too many American shows.

  15. I’m with nath. Please release him from moderation. He’s done his time in Coventry.

    And I think his cousin is Roger Rogerson.

  16. Rakali says:
    Tuesday, September 1, 2020 at 6:55 pm

    nath

    “ Do you know my cousin, Captain so and so? It’s amazing how well you are treated.”
    ————
    I’d be surprised if it worked as Australian police forces have nobody with the rank of “Captain”.

    You watch too many American shows.
    ___________
    Well you could use Inspector. The point is to get the name right. So just find a name and rank in the newspaper. Whatever you please sunshine.

  18. Fulvio Sammut:

    Tuesday, September 1, 2020 at 6:51 pm

    [‘He can be released when he’s served as long a time as Frank Calabrese.’]

    There’s no comparison, cobber.

  21. Policing in Perth is influenced way too much by whatever scare story the West decide to run with in a slow news week. Lately they’re trying to get the phrase “Fear City” going, because of a one-punch death outside Paramount last month and a brawl on James St last weekend. (Both of these things happened at 4am – yeah, nothing good happens outside a nightclub that late at night. Who knew?) I’ve lived in Northbridge for years, and there’s so much more here than nightclubs.

    The West have one main game, and that’s getting Basil Zempilas elected as Lord Mayor of Perth. Since he’s more likely to win than the Libs next year, he’s their chosen one. (Half a dozen candidates, and guess which one gets to have an opinion column every Friday.) Meanwhile they editorialise against Clive Palmer, while taking his money and letting him run full-page adverts every day. Absolute rag of a paper.

  26. Jaeger @ #1057 Tuesday, September 1st, 2020 – 5:43 pm

    I look forward to the Greens joining #scottyfrommarketing to lobby the states to lift border restrictions for “family reasons” – especially for Australian citizens (aka “voters”.)

    Nick McKim @NickMcKim

    Deeply disappointing that Labor and the Liberals voted down a Greens motion in support of temporary visa holders who have been separated from ther loved ones during COVID. Families have a right to be together.

    The Greens remind me of the Polar Bear on the ice flow diminished by Global Heating who have an increasingly small number of topics they can claim as their own to comment on. But good on Nick McKim for finding a way to work one of them into the COVID-19 conversation. 😀

  27. Fulvio: I haven’t paid money for it for many years. I flick through it at work or at the cafe… most of the time I get about as much quality as I paid for.

  34. Fulvio Sammut:

    Tuesday, September 1, 2020 at 6:51 pm

    [‘Ah, but absence makes the heart grow fonder, Mavis.’]

    Well, I’ve never been bothered by his posts albeit he’s agin my political leanings. If that’s a sin sobeit. And even if he’s posted under another persona, sobeit. I do recall some time ago where you had a very serious hissy fit, admonished by WB to settle.

  43. Bird of paradox says:
    Tuesday, September 1, 2020 at 7:02 pm

    “The West have one main game, and that’s getting Basil Zempilas elected as Lord Mayor of Perth. Since he’s more likely to win than the Libs next year, he’s their chosen one. (Half a dozen candidates, and guess which one gets to have an opinion column every Friday.)”

    I’ve lived in North Perth for 25 years and regularly eat in Northbridge. I don’t like being in there after 9 pm.

    Basil has been writing for the West for years so having the column isn’t anything new.

    I’ve been asked to letterbox in West Perth next week for Basil. I probably won’t because he hasn’t agreed to get a Street Circuit for the Supercars up.

  45. Fulvio Sammut says:
    Tuesday, September 1, 2020 at 6:51 pm

    “He can be released when he’s served as long a time as Frank Calabrese.

    Fairs fair.”

    Really?

    Calabrese is unnecessarily viscous and the permanent ban was appropriate.

  47. Buc

    Calabrese is unnecessarily viscous and the permanent ban was appropriate.

    William places no restrictions on the viscosity of a poster.

  48. Bucephalus @ #1145 Tuesday, September 1st, 2020 – 8:05 pm

    Fulvio Sammut says:
    Tuesday, September 1, 2020 at 6:51 pm

    “He can be released when he’s served as long a time as Frank Calabrese.

    Fairs fair.”

    Really?

    Calabrese is unnecessarily viscous and the permanent ban was appropriate.

    As he owns a winery, being viscous can only be a positive.

    Bagging people who can’t defend themselves is as weak as piss, comrade.

  49. Expressed my opinion of the West earlier today……………..about as bad as metro dailies get in Oz………Poor quality paper whose only redeeming feature is the cryptic crossword and the fact I get it cheap…………….Once upon a time West shares were on the market for $2 each and the paper actually made a profit before Stokes and 7WestMedia got their sticky fingers on it….Now is it nothing more than pages of paper to fill in Harvey Norman ads……..oh, and a blatant vehicle to support Stoke’s party of choice – the Liberals……………….I notice BK does not even bother – or rarely – make any reference at all to what is actually printed in the West each day…………….A wise decision as most is low level dross……..

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