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”

Comments Page 7 of 25
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  1. Barney

    Tasmania.

    Labor Green government. Like ACT.

    Proof is in.

    Labor can trust the Greens to form a government.

    Demographics have nothing to do with that fact.

  3. guytaur @ #301 Monday, August 31st, 2020 – 10:36 am

    Barney

    Tasmania.

    Labor Green government. Like ACT.

    Proof is in.

    Labor can trust the Greens to form a government.

    Demographics have nothing to do with that fact.

    Yep that was successful, so much so, that IIRC at the last election the possibility of it happening again resulted in a late swing to the Liberals.

  4. lizzie

    Poor Josh , after the ‘tragic death’ of his holy surplus and with it Liberal Hero status he’s reached stage 2 of the 5 stages of grief ,anger.

  5. Barney

    So successful the ACT government is the longest serving term government.

    Stop trying to deny working with the Greens can be good for Labor.

    The political marriage of convenience works.

  7. Victoria says Monday, August 31, 2020 at 12:21 pm

    So as per the fable, does it follow that the Scorpio will eventually do himself in.

    Don’t they say that most politicians don’t leave, they get carried out.

  9. Guytaur,
    i have long liked the idea of Labor Greens coalition.
    Couple of issues,
    Boat people,
    Defence.

    Everything else is simpler. Even boat people is simple. Labor don’t like their own position and only hold it out of fear of murdoch.

  11. south

    I agree.

    However we saw with the Gillard government thats an area the Greens will compromise on.

    While having those different policy areas the Greens were still able to offer supply to the government.

    Labor could trust the Greens to do that.

  12. Spray @ #257 Monday, August 31st, 2020 – 11:31 am

    poroti @ #252 Monday, August 31st, 2020 – 11:23 am

    Barney in Tanjung Bunga

    The App is a classic case of what I was saying before about the challenges of applying theory to reality.

    Great idea, but practical limitations have made it worthless.

    More to do with shite implementation/design than reality vs theory.

    I think that what was overlooked is that there are far more reliable systems in place, or easily implemented. Recording names when visiting places of business is a perfect example.

    By their very nature, schools have this data readily available. Then there’s things like transport cards, membership cards, etc. All more reliable than the app.

    For example : I visited the optometrist last week. It was a mandated appointment to limit numbers inside. Despite having all my data, I still had to hand sterilise outside, then sign a registry outside, then enter and re-sterilise, and same same when leaving . They are working a double roster with no overlap so if one team gets exposed, the other one is still available.

    (I wore a mask, and avoided public transport.)

  13. The Victorian government – and Victorian taxpayers – will be hit with billions of dollars worth of compensation claims in class action lawsuits blaming the Andrews government for the financial devastation facing so many businesses.

    I wonder what the defence will be, since it was the lockdown that caused business loss, yet without it the damage would have been worse.

  15. If only Queensland, WA and NSW were like the ACT.

    If only we lived in a Greentaur universe.

    With unicorns being herded by Pegasus.

    Where the hens lay soft boiled eggs.

    Sigh.

    If only.

  16. guytaur @ #305 Monday, August 31st, 2020 – 10:48 am

    Barney

    So successful the ACT government is the longest Erving term government.

    Stop trying to deny working with the Greens can be good for Labor.

    The political marriage of convenience works.

    And then there was one! 😆

    So now you drop Tasmania.

    The ACT is what it is and with the state of the local Liberal Party and the electoral system they have, it is unlikely to change soon.

    It’s a system that doesn’t exist in any of the mainland jurisdictions, while the last election in Tasmania suggests that some people who wanted a Labor Government, preferred a Liberal one when the possibility of a Labor/Green Government arose.

  17. Quinn Emmanuel, one of the legal firms prominent in the class action industry, is seeking compensation on behalf of businesses that have suffered losses due to the Victorian government’s mishandling of hotel quarantine.

  19. I actually think the greens are probably the only way the ALP get’s government back.
    The greens don’t accept the premise of the coalition attacks so they don’t participate in fights. a big failing of the ALP is constantly fighting the coalition on the terms it sets. trying to meet it’s tests. The greens are better at not doing this.

    But I don’t know how you handle the coal mining right of the ALP with the luvvy duvvy left of the greens.

  21. Footybrain.

    Herald Sun
    @theheraldsun
    Sam Newman has urged his followers to “take the city back”, calling for 250,000 Victorians to illegally protest the state’s lockdown restrictions.


  22. south says:
    Monday, August 31, 2020 at 1:10 pm

    I actually think the greens are probably the only way the ALP get’s government back.
    The greens don’t accept the premise of the coalition attacks so they don’t participate in fights. a big failing of the ALP is constantly fighting the coalition on the terms it sets. trying to meet it’s tests. The greens are better at not doing this.

    Why would the greens fight the right side of the left/right Labor wedge?
    The Greens are way to busy wedging labor to fight with the Liberals.

  23. Already

    Sumeyya Ilanbey
    @sumeyyailanbey
    ·
    47m
    .
    @CommissionerEMV
    Andrew Crisp will hold a press conference at 2pm today re the upcoming bushfire season. #springst

  25. Heidi Murphy
    @heidimur
    The
    @PoliceAssocVIC
    is also backing the SoE extension, along with these unions:
    Quote Tweet

    ANMF (Vic Branch)
    @anmfvic
    · 33m
    “Don’t call nurses, midwives and carers heroes them then not have their backs by refusing to support an extension of the state of emergency laws.” Branch Secretary Lisa Lisa Fitzpatrick with @DannyHill_VAU and @ama_media to talk on extending SoE. #COVID19Vic #springst

  26. Yes

    Here we go.

    It’s not about the facts.

    It’s about speculation that division is better than unity.

    Despite the evidence that yes Labor can and does work hand in hand with the Greens in government everyday.

    Now that working relationship is proof that means Labor cannot trust the Greens enough to win elections.

    That’s the argument.
    Having a working government means you cannot win elections. The Labor right argument.

  27. Hahaha, those dimwits ScoFo and Frydo backing the wrong horse here.

    The people love the Premiers and and state border closures.

    This flirting with Clive Palmer’s “open the economy” bullshit will lead them to oblivion. My guess is they’ll drop it like a hot potato now.

  28. QE will probably be funded, at least in part, by overseas interests but Victoria is the favoured place for class actions because of legislation passed by politicians who listen to Slater & Gordon and Maurice Blackburn so there you go.

    The class action may be met by this proposition:

    “It is true that a duty of care should not be imposed by reference to an indeterminate class of persons. Indeed, such a step would undermine the principle that the law does not recognise an abstract duty not to harm any person by one’s carelessness, as opposed to a duty owed to identifiable individuals”

    https://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/cases/nsw/NSWCA/2019/74.html?context=1;query=1999%20HCA%2036%20or%20HCA%201999%2036;mask_path=au/cases/nsw/NSWCA at [20]

  29. Shellbell

    The state of Victoria has been operating under state of emergency powers

    So this overseas law firm which I believe is based in Sydney can go and stick it

  30. Hunt trying to run interference for Colbeck, but doesn’t have the facts. Colbeck, on the other hand, has no fucking clue.

    They announced a retention bonus extension for aged care workers.

    Q: How many workers does this cover?

    A: We have no fucking clue.

  31. Oh dear the Bachelor of Arts Tehan well and truly out ‘math gunned’ 😆
    .
    Mehreen Faruqi
    (@MehreenFaruqi)
    “Maybe Senator Faruqi should study a mathematics unit.” – The Education Minister.

    You don’t need a PhD in Engineering to know the Liberals’ uni fee hikes and funding cuts don’t add up. But lucky for Dan Tehan, I do have one.

    August 31, 2020
    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2020/aug/31/australia-coronavirus-live-update-jobseeker-jobkeeper-nsw-qld-victoria-scott-morrison-frydenberg-covid-19-health-warnings-latest-news

  33. Hunt is taking all the questions, even though they are directed to Colbeck.

    The flaw in the model is that all responsibility for everything is handed over to the private providers.

  34. Andrew_Earlwood @ #316 Monday, August 31st, 2020 – 1:03 pm

    If only Queensland, WA and NSW were like the ACT.

    If only we lived in a Greentaur universe.

    With unicorns being herded by Pegasus.

    Where the hens lay soft boiled eggs.

    Sigh.

    If only.

    Like The Greens would EVER compromise on Immigration policy and Boats! with Labor. 😆

    I mean, it’s super easy and convenient to hold up the ACT government but what real power over a large Council, over the border in NSW, do they really have? They do not set policy on Immigration and Border Control, so comparing the ACT government with a potential, heaven forbid, federal government of Labor + The Greens (with the once bitten, twice shy, mantra ringing in Labor’s ears), is akin to comparing apples to a red painted rock.

  38. Could someone hazard a guess as to why the ‘business community’ have been so screechy and sack cloth and ashes over the 0.5 % super increase ? Going by the median wage 1/2 of all workers will receive less than :drumrollemoji: $4.65 per week !

  40. So Andrews has bought in the unions to try and sway public opinion. We did not elect them to run this state, we elected a parliament to do that, so stay the fuck out.

  41. Cat

    Yes The Greens stopped giving Labor supply the day Labor voted the opposite way to the Greens on immigration.

    Funny thing those facts not supporting your narrative.

  43. Did I miss something? Hunt says Kelly will comment on timing of relaxation of lockdown, then Kelly says it’s not for him to say.

  44. (We did not elect them to run this state, we elected a parliament to do that, so stay the fuck out.)
    We didn’t elect big business or the likes of Palmer,Newman & all the other media nut jobs. They should shut the fuck up!

  45. Australia is a commonwealth. A federal system. A true federal leader would have brought the states together and organised a coordinated lockdown of areas where clusters were getting out of control. Bring in the various opposition parties to help pass legislation to make that happen. Make it all transparent and involve observers from each state in these lockdowns so they had the confidence to keep their borders as open as possible for the good of the economy and border communities. Take leadership of quarantine – drafting Australia wide rules and laws and enforcement for strong and effective control of the spread of the virus. Take responsibility where it is due and reaping the rewards for a job well done AND take the flack for stuff ups.

    But Morrison isnt interested in that. Too much like hard work. Morrison’s MO is bravado, blame games and BS. Isnt that what politics is all about?

    So instead he took WA to court. Got Murdoch and Joyce to badmouth those he sees as his opponents. Let his attack dog MPs loose without censure. And tried to take all the glory and none of the blame.

    What a guy. What a leader. A man for the times.

  47. Taylormade @ #340 Monday, August 31st, 2020 – 11:34 am

    So Andrews has bought in the unions to try and sway public opinion. We did not elect them to run this state, we elected a parliament to do that, so stay the fuck out.

    But it’s ok when Morrison sets up his COVID commission with friendly business leaders.

    At least Union leaders are elected by their members!

  48. Andrew Earlwood

    Yes we know how good your election predictions are.

    Of course my pointing to factual everyday evidence of the existence that Labor and the Greens can and do work together in government everyday means it’s impossible for Labor and the Greens to work together.

  49. Well done Victoria getting Covid infections back down below 100. I’m sure they couldn’t have done it without Josh Frydentrump constantly criticising and demanding that policy be abandoned. Only by having Josh demonstrate how stupid the alternative was, could Victorians realise they had to follow Daniel Andrews’ leadership.
    https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/state/vic/2020/08/31/victoria-virus-41-dead/?utm_source=Adestra&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=News%20Alert%20-%2020200831

    Of course, people will still blame Andrews for Federal aged car policy. Andrews really should sack the hopeless Minister Colbeck. If only.

    Question: how many dead retirees does it take to change a Federal minister?
    Answer: only one, but they have to be a relative of the minister.

  50. Journos pushing for Colbeck’s resignation.

    His answer? Prattle off the inadequate, ill thought through, half baked response to a system already shown to be broken by a Royal Commission.

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