Essential Research: leadership and COVID-19 approval ratings

A narrowing lead for Scott Morrison as preferred prime minister punctuates an otherwise stable picture in Essential Research’s latest set of leadership and COVID-19 performance ratings.

The Guardian reports the latest fortnightly Essential Research poll includes its monthly leadership ratings, which find Scott Morrison’s lead over Anthony Albanese as preferred prime minister is now at 49-26, in from 55-22 last time and the narrowest it has been since early February. However, movements on leaders’ ratings are apparently more modest: Morrison is down two on approval to 64%, with his disapproval rating yet to be disclosed (UPDATE: Up five to 28%, so perhaps not as modest as that), while Albanese is steady on approval at 44% and down one on disapproval to 29%.

Fifty-nine per cent now express approval for the federal government’s handling of the pandemic, down two on a fortnight ago. The poll was conducted before Sunday’s announcement of extended restrictions in Victoria, but the small-sample breakdown for that state finds approval of the state government’s performance up three to 50%, compared with falls of two points in New South Wales to 57% and six points in Queensland to 66%. The WA government is up three to a new high of 87%, although at this point sample sizes get very small indeed: as with much else in this poll, we will have to wait for the publication of the full report this afternoon for numbers from South Australia. The latter figure aside, the following chart shows how the various governments’ favourable ratings on this measure have progressed since March:

Concerning COVID-19 outbreaks in aged care facilities, 41% now blame the providers, down a point on a fortnight ago, with 31% blaming the federal government, up three, and 28% blaming state and territory governments, down two. The poll finds 36% support for increasing the Medicare levy from 2% to 2.65% to fund improvements to aged care, with 32% opposed and 32% uncommitted.

Forty-nine per cent favoured a proposition that Google and Facebook should have to pay for news content, compared with 38% for the alternative that “it is not up to the tech giants to support media companies” (as per the wording in The Guardian’s report). The poll was conducted Thursday to Sunday from a sample of 1076.

UPDATE: Full 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.

1,463 comments on “Essential Research: leadership and COVID-19 approval ratings”

Comments Page 21 of 30
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  4. Lizzie

    Goodness me. The same James Campbell from the herald sun who has been working hand in glove with Adem Somyurek for years to undermine members in his own party.

    Who do you think gave Campbell stories on the CFA dispute for all those years. Also on behalf of another state Labor MP. It is pretty easy to guess who this is.

  5. An ‘on this day

    1897 George Smith, a London taxi driver, became the first person to be convicted of drink-driving after crashing his electric cab into a building. He was fined 20 shillings;

  6. Mavis

    The million tests in Qld is over the whole pandemic. They have reached the million milestone.
    It would be literally impossible to do a million tests in one go.

  8. I gotta say this story has me scratching my head

    Rafael Epstein
    @Raf_Epstein
    ·
    58m
    Australia Post, Pauline Hanson and the locked down public housing tower
    Australia Post, Pauline Hanson and the locked down public housing tower
    When parcels from Pauline Hanson weren’t distributed in a locked-down Melbourne public housing tower, the Australia Post boss issued a warning.
    smh.com.au

  10. I havent listened to anything Mitchell has said for decades, but I am not surprised.
    He is undermining the covid response.
    Absolute a hole.

    See new Tweets
    Conversation
    MFW
    @MadFckingWitch
    How the f@@k can
    @3AWNeilMitchell
    see that the UK is locking down again and the US still has more than ONE THOUSAND DEATHS per day yet he’s screaming for
    @DanielAndrewsMP
    to be removed as Premier while desperately trying to save lives?

    Mitchell is unfit to have a microphone.

  12. Victoria

    There were valid concerns about the lockdown effects in the public towers. Parcel delivery was one of them. No surprise Hanson wants to take political advantage.

  14. A miserable million a day ? Pfffft. If you want phwaor, BoJo’s Ingurland is the place to go. Although “an adviser” has been quoted as saying the cunning plan “is not perfect” 😆 Land of hope and glory ,mother of……………………………

    Government’s ‘Moonshot’ programme aims to increase virus testing to 10 million a day
    By
    Charles Hymas

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/09/09/governments-moonshot-programme-aims-increase-coronavirus-testing/

  15. so now Murdoch Media, Morrison, Hunt, Vic Opposition have pivoted to an attack on curfews, after the last few days attacking tracing .. #abcnews is dutifully reporting the twists and turns in this background story .. in an emergency, judgement calls are made .. blame later, focus

  16. It sounds like Divided Nation junk mail.

    Officials overseeing distribution of food, medical supplies and mail at Canning Street, North Melbourne opened one parcel addressed “to the householder” of an unoccupied flat and decided against distributing the stubby holders. The paraphernalia would, sources said, inflame what was already an “emotional tinder box” within the tower following Senator Hanson’s comments on the Nine Network’s Today program earlier that week.

    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/australia-post-pauline-hanson-and-the-locked-down-public-housing-tower-20200909-p55u01.html

  17. Was the WTC date significant to the terrorists- that is 11 (edit) September?

    I’ve sometimes wondered if they chose the date (9-11) because American people would be reminded every time they dialled the emergency number 911.

  18. I was living in the US. I went to work (I worked at a US federal agency), and was told what had happened. I was sent home, along with all other employees. My wife was not yet awake. I had to tell her that New York (her home city) had been attacked.

    On the way to China from Bishkek I stayed at a ‘tourist’ yurt camp at the beautiful Song Kul. There were a bunch of Canadians there on a group tour. They didnt know. I thought long and hard about telling them and eventually decided to break the news. Honesty the best policy?

    Two of them had close relatives who worked in the towers. We were miles from anywhere. No communications. They left first light.

  19. As I suggested yesterday, the attacks on Andrews are coming from everywhere. He needs support, even if it’s his own ministers. The pressure on his must be intense.

  23. I was playing in a cricket final in Gerringong in Nov ’63 when play was suspended due to JFK’s assassination. I watched the ’69 moon landing in HMAS Albatross. I can’t remember where I was when hearing of 9/11.

  26. Rakali
    I hope you have your black arm band on today as on this day
    .
    1547 the last pitched battle between English and Scottish armies took place at Pinkie Cleugh, near Musselburgh, Scotland, with a decisive victory for the Duke of Somerset’s forces. With Scottish deaths estimated at 6,000, the defeat is known as Black Saturday

  27. I remember on the 10th Nov 2001 discussing with my neighbour whether our local pub might be the object of a terrorist attack. (We were being droll, of couse.)
    Terror or pandemic, Regional Victoria is comfortingly safe… not quite so much during bushfires!
    Perhaps one of the coalition supports can tell us where the much vaunted ‘bushfire relief’ has gone, down the same black hole as the Covid -19 app, or the evidence of Federal public servants during the Ruby Princess ‘inquiry’ , or the the 2 witness sports rort ‘inquiry’?
    So many announcements, so little fruit!

  28. I was playing in a cricket final in Gerringong in Nov ’63 when play was suspended due to JFK’s assassination.. It was early morning, the day after the annual Railway Picnic. Mum woke up my sister and I to tell us the news “The President’s been shot!”.

    I watched the ’69 moon landing in HMAS Albatross.. Watched it with a bunch of other students on a TV monitor in a lecture hall at Sydney Uni.

  30. Ugh!

    That is all.

    Now back to looking at the piles of stuff I broke my back moving yesterday, in the rain fcs, and deciding what to do with them.

    *Le sigh*

    Beaut view of boats bobbing up and down on the water from the couch, I must say.

  31. poroti

    “ 1547 the last pitched battle between English and Scottish armies took place at Pinkie Cleugh, near Musselburgh, Scotland, with a decisive victory for the Duke of Somerset’s forces. With Scottish deaths estimated at 6,000, the defeat is known as Black Saturday”
    ———
    Pinkie Cleugh! Part of the Rough Wooing!

    I fear that if the coming referendum looks like being lost (by the Unionists), Scotland will be in for another Rough Wooing at the the hands of the (supposedly non-nationalistic) Westminster British Nationalists!

  32. A few days ago some here were trying to spin an argument that the BLM protests would create a counter -reaction pushing US opinion polls towards Trump. It ain’t happening.
    https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/election-update-polls-are-good-for-biden-pretty-much-everywhere-except-florida/

    Trump has had a slight gain in Florida, where he has pandered to the Cuban Latino vote. But in Minnesota and Wisconsin, where the BLM protests hit with full force, the margin is widening in favour of Biden.

  33. poroti @ #1031 Thursday, September 10th, 2020 – 8:49 am

    Loved the moon landing as school closed early yaaaaay ! oh and a bonus, watching the fuzzy B&W landing 🙂

    Too young for the moon landing, but my favourite was watching the Centenary Test in class.

    Our teacher brought in a black and white TV and had it on continuously, with the sound off, during classes. 🙂

  34. So a smart and determined oppo leader could make A LOT with the QAnon Banned account of a PM’s friend.

    QAnon is considered a domestic terror threat in the US. It’s about judgement! If Albo wanted to start pulling that thread the next thing would be, what does this prime minister believe. Are you an anti vaxer? What are your views on the Illuminati considering your a PM, one of a hundered world leaders. etc.

  36. OFSS

    Samantha Maiden
    @samanthamaiden
    ·
    3m
    Now Ray Hadley is crying too. Bloody hell.
    Quote Tweet

    Samantha Maiden
    @samanthamaiden
    · 4m
    PM @ScottMorrisonMP on verge of tears as he begs @AnnastaciaMP to let daughter cross border to attend funeral of her dad on @NewsTalk4BC @newscomauHQ

  38. Sean Parnell
    @seanparnell
    Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk accuses PM Scott Morrison of calling her this morning to bully her over a border exemption issue, and lying over whether he would make it public. Palaszczuk told him, and parliament now, it was a matter for the Chief Health Officer alone.

  39. lizzie says:
    Thursday, September 10, 2020 at 10:59 am
    OFSS

    Samantha Maiden
    @samanthamaiden
    ·
    3m
    Now Ray Hadley is crying too. Bloody hell.
    Quote Tweet

    Samantha Maiden
    @samanthamaiden
    · 4m
    PM @ScottMorrisonMP on verge of tears as he begs @AnnastaciaMP to let daughter cross border to attend funeral of her dad on @NewsTalk4BC @newscomauHQ

    ————

    Predicted this yesterday the attack will turn on QLD Labor

    While Albanese continues to appease the media and not defending any Labor state governments

  40. I was in a hospital crib a few days old for JFK’s assassination.
    I watched the moon landing on a large grainy B&W television at my primary school in grade one, with the rest of my class. It started a lifelong fascination with science.
    I have mostly watched the covid 19 news from my home office while working from home.
    I was in my lounge room at home 19 May last year when a majority of Australia chose to damage their own children’s futures and re-elect the lying friar.
    I am wherever the news is on when I watch Scott Morrison lie.

  41. Further to my last,
    It’d actually be good for the ALP to start playing the man. they can’t seem to get morrison off balance with exposing his lacking governance skills. He doesn’t seem to have a care in the world about that.
    Instead attacking his friends and associations and his crazy wife’s friend who lives in a Tax Payer funded estate in Sydney.

    These are legitimate targets. And will probably really unsettle morrison. Mostly because the regular scummy front benchers are just corrupt for all the regular corrupt reasons. Morrisons corrupt because he believes whacky things. And i’d be interesting to see them try and defend that stuff.

  44. Ben Eltham
    @beneltham
    ·
    25s
    Mind boggling but apparently true – Morrison govt set up a $4b natural disaster mitigation fund last year, but hasn’t spent any of it

  45. I was in my lounge room at home 19 May last year when a majority of Australia chose to damage their own children’s futures and re-elect the lying friar.

    I was driving home from visiting family on the Central Coast, listening to coverage on the car radio. After a little while as the unfolding horror became apparent, I switched over to a music station and mostly avoided Australian political news for the next couple of weeks.

  47. south @ #1037 Thursday, September 10th, 2020 – 11:05 am

    Further to my last,
    It’d actually be good for the ALP to start playing the man. they can’t seem to get morrison off balance with exposing his lacking governance skills. He doesn’t seem to have a care in the world about that.
    Instead attacking his friends and associations and his crazy wife’s friend who lives in a Tax Payer funded estate in Sydney.

    These are legitimate targets. And will probably really unsettle morrison. Mostly because the regular scummy front benchers are just corrupt for all the regular corrupt reasons. Morrisons corrupt because he believes whacky things. And i’d be interesting to see them try and defend that stuff.

    ‘get morrison off balance with exposing his lacking governance skills’
    Que?
    And this ‘exposing’ happened when, South?
    Did I blink and miss it?
    You got this bit right…’He doesn’t seem to have a care in the world’

  48. Scott @ #1035 Thursday, September 10th, 2020 – 11:04 am

    lizzie says:
    Thursday, September 10, 2020 at 10:59 am
    OFSS

    Samantha Maiden
    @samanthamaiden
    ·
    3m
    Now Ray Hadley is crying too. Bloody hell.
    Quote Tweet

    Samantha Maiden
    @samanthamaiden
    · 4m
    PM @ScottMorrisonMP on verge of tears as he begs @AnnastaciaMP to let daughter cross border to attend funeral of her dad on @NewsTalk4BC @newscomauHQ

    ————

    Predicted this yesterday the attack will turn on QLD Labor

    While Albanese continues to appease the media and not defending any Labor state governments

    Albo has a nice new blue suit though. Give the bloke a break.

  49. Yabba @ #940 Thursday, September 10th, 2020 – 8:34 am

    ItzaDream @ #891 Wednesday, September 9th, 2020 – 10:48 pm

    The Australian Chamber Orchestra’s concert – the third of a run of five – tonight in Sydney’s City Recital Hall was the first programming in the hall since the initial lockdown. It took a lot of organising, and protocol hoops to jump through.

    The programme was introduced by Richard Tognetti, and dedicated to the people of Melbourne and Victoria, and live ABC broadcast I think, maybe delayed broadcast – hard to hear exactly as there was so much applause from the scattered well spaced audience for Victorians and Melburnians. Know we are with you down there you lot.

    There was a sustained meaningful standing ovation (hard to get in Sydney), just a big thank you both sides of the stage.

    I really just wanted to say how strong and genuine was the support for Melbourne.

    I was there on Tuesday, their first night. With younger daughter. In mask.
    It was my Father’s Day present. Third back row, up in the gods. Wonderful.

    I thought the second movement of the Mendelssohn was terrific, and I love Transfigured Night, which said daughter has studied in detail. The William Barton was also moving. The ACO as an ensemble are as good as it gets. They are all so plainly totally into the music, immersed and intense, and staggeringly accurate. Altogether, it was balm for the soul, and raised my spirits enormously.

    When things get back to normal, Weds at 7 are our subscription nights, and if you’re down for one, we could do worse than have a drink. (MOH has a long history of electronic engineering intimately associated with the music industry and sound recording and reproduction, so there’d be one person of interest!) And all you say and more, especially their programming. We toured with them in Europe/UK last year, just 12 months ago now, and got to get to know some a bit closer. Exceptional on so many levels.

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