Essential Research state and federal leadership polling

High and improving personal ratings for all incumbent leaders, as concern about COVID-19 eases just slightly.

The latest fortnightly Essential Research survey includes the pollster’s monthly leadership ratings, which find Scott Morrison up three on approval to 66% and down two on approval to 25%, Anthony Albanese down four on approval to 40% and up four on disapproval to 39%, and Morrison holding a 53-24 lead as preferred prime minister, out from 50-25. There was also a six point increase in the government’s good rating on COVID-19 response to 67%, with the poor rating steady on 15%.

As it did a fortnight ago, the poll also asked about the mainland state premiers from the small sub-samples in the relevant states: Gladys Berejiklian was at 75% approval (up seven) and 17% disapproval (down four); Daniel Andrews at 65% approval (up four) and 28% disapproval (down five); Annastacia Palazczuk at 65% approval (steady) and 27% disapproval (up three); Mark McGowan at 87% (up nine) approval and 7% disapproval (down five); and Steven Marshall, who was not featured in last fortnight’s polling, at 60% approval and 21% disapproval. State government handling of COVID-19 was rated as good by 82% of respondents in Western Australia, 76% in South Australia, 75% in New South Wales, 71% in Queensland and 59% in Victoria.

Respondents were asked how much attention they had been paying to recent news stories, with 73% saying they had closely followed the easing of COVID-19 restrictions in Victoria, 68% the US presidential election, 36% the allegations of sexual misconduct raised by the ABC’s Four Corners, and 29% Joel Fitzgibbon’s resignation from the shadow cabinet. It also finds an easing in concern over COVID-19, with 27% rating themselves very concerned (down three), 44% quite concerned (down two), 23% not that concerned (up three) and 6% not at all concerned (up two). The peak of concern was in early August, when 50% were very concerned, 40% quite concerned, 7% not that concerned and 3% not at all concerned.

The poll was conducted Wednesday to Monday from a sample of 1010.

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.

2,211 comments on “Essential Research state and federal leadership polling”

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  1. From Dawn Patrol:

    What is it that Rupert Murdoch has that enables him to demand of our government millions of dollars of taxpayer’s money whenever he wants it, asks John Lord [AIMN] who says that this government’s dishonesty continues unabated.

    Payment for all the acres of newsprint in the pages of the Daily Rupert and National Rupert devoted to campaigning for the Coalition?

  2. Donald Trump is evil. Donald Trump is planning for a resurgence of terrorist attacks which he will blame on the Biden Administration:

    The Trump administration has announced it will halve the number of US troops in Afghanistan within months, while also cutting the number of troops in Iraq.

    …That is just five days before Joe Biden is to be inaugurated as the 46th American president.

    Earlier in the day the head of NATO warned that pulling troops out of Afghanistan too quickly risked sparking a resurgence of terrorist activity in the country.

    …He said: “Afghanistan risks becoming once again a platform for international terrorists to plan and organise attacks on our homelands.

    “And ISIS could rebuild in Afghanistan the terror caliphate it lost in Syria and Iraq.”

    https://www.smh.com.au/world/north-america/trump-administration-cuts-troops-in-afghanistan-iraq-20201118-p56fiu.html

  3. Thanks William for that link to Essential Report.

    Of the 1010 people they interviewed, 50% of those who said they vote Labor also said they approved of the job Morrison is doing as PM.
    It just goes to show how easy it is to manipulate people’s opinions when all the MSM (ie Stokes, Costello, ABC, & Murdoch media) are singing from the song sheets he hands out to his select set of ‘journalists’.
    Scotty appears to be a marketing mastermind..
    He has the SCAM media in his pocket.
    How depressing 🙁

  4. Maude Lynne

    He has the SCAM media in his pocket

    And from this in Pru Goward’s his government would also have a few of them in the bedroom.

    There were plenty of naughty dalliances between MPs and the press gallery and that appears to have continued in a way I have never encountered elsewhere since.

  5. If there is a challenge to the Robodebt settlement, other lawyers will need to engaged which could add a cost to come out of the settlement figure.

  6. Day 2 of jury duty. Day 1 provided everything you’d expect in a John Grisham novel except for the jury sequestering, which the judge says doesn’t happen anymore.

    Wonder what Day 2 will bring…

  7. poroti @ #NaN Wednesday, November 18th, 2020 – 7:53 am

    C@tmomma
    😆 😆 Stoltengerg worried about “leaving too soon” . FMD ! 20 years of not getting anywhere not long enough ?

    I’m torn. Do you leave a presence that monitors the place, like a bouncer at a pub, just to provide intelligence and oversight about the baddies, or do you leave them to their own devices knowing what the consequences may be?

  8. D says:
    Wednesday, November 18, 2020 at 7:52 am
    Surely, the site set up to attack Husic can be traced?

    I thought the same thing, D.
    The domain name had to registered to a realperson (or company) for a start
    Then it has to be hosted somewhere.
    If the site name had been published then anyone could have done a lookup.
    There’s a lot of detail missing in this story about the attack on Husic. It really looks like a reprinted press release, with no questions asked by the ‘journo’.

  9. Biden’s appointments so far, including those mentioned for key cabinet positions.
    https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/politics/biden-cabinet/?itid=hp-top-table-main

    Aside from the obvious observation that most of those identified are at least qualified for the roles they’re mooted for, Sally Yates has been mentioned as a potential AG and Bernie Sanders as Secretary of Labor. Worth noting that many such as Sanders are very unlikely to be confirmed by the Senate if they do end up being Biden’s nominee.

  10. C@t
    My significant other is going well. The person she had contact with came returned a negative test but still has to undergo another one in a few days.

  11. C@t:

    Mayor Pete is a bit of a star isn’t he? He’s the Democrats best communicator at the moment and should look forward to a big future in politics.

  12. Gazzumped again!

    Good morning Dawn Patrollers

    The federal government and some of its boosters keep talking in code about relaxing Covid restrictions. We need to be careful.
    https://www.smh.com.au/national/border-closures-after-adelaide-outbreak-shows-federation-falling-apart-says-business-20201117-p56fg6.html
    As South Australian authorities work to bring a new cluster under control, doctors have warned that Australia will be left exposed to COVID-19 if restrictions relax too far.
    https://www.theage.com.au/national/covid-cautious-ama-says-australians-shouldn-t-get-back-to-normal-20201117-p56f8y.html
    The AFR says that today Josh Frydenberg will reprimand the major financial regulators for hampering the recovery from the COVID-induced recession with overzealous intervention in policymaking.
    https://www.afr.com/policy/economy/frydenberg-to-accuse-regulators-of-hurting-recovery-20201117-p56fcz
    Nick Xenophon, representing David McBride, the whistleblower who got the ball rolling on the investigations into the conduct of Australian SAS members in Afghanistan, has written an open letter to General Campbell. Xenophon asks Campbell to read and reflect on what is happening to McBride before he speaks out tomorrow about the SAS report, because the two are inextricably linked.
    https://www.smh.com.au/national/if-moral-courage-matters-this-whistleblower-needs-defending-20201116-p56ey4.html
    Nick Bonyhady and Katina Curtis tell us that people affected by the unlawful “robo-debt” scheme are upset and angry at a settlement their law firm reached with the federal government that will split $112 million between up to 430,000 plaintiffs.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/it-doesn-t-give-me-anything-robo-debt-victims-unhappy-at-settlement-20201117-p56fdu.html
    Cassandra Goldie demands that the inhumane robo-debt must never be allowed to happen again.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/inhumane-robo-debt-must-never-be-allowed-to-happen-again-20201117-p56f8s.html
    Luke Henriques-Gomes reports that a new study has shown that an extra 330,000 people will be thrown below the poverty line when the federal government reduces the coronavirus supplement after Christmas.
    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/nov/18/covid-welfare-cut-will-cast-330000-more-australians-into-poverty-researcher-says
    The majority of environmental water redirected from irrigators under the $13 billion Murray-Darling Basin Plan isn’t being delivered to its intended wetland targets, with private land blocking the connections between rivers and floodplains, new research shows.
    https://thenewdaily.com.au/life/science/environment/2020/11/17/murray-darling-basin-plan/
    Department of Defence secretly investigates itself, does not make public the review’s existence or its terms of reference, and keeps any resulting report secret. Defence recommends buying hundreds of vehicles from Thales, despite no need for them, just so Thales can keep its factory open. Houston, we have a problem, writes Michelle Fahy.
    https://www.michaelwest.com.au/department-of-defence-captured-by-foreign-weapons-makers-thales-bae/
    Cait Kelly tells us that Australians are working more than five hours of unpaid work every week, according to new research that put the annual figure of unpaid work at nearly $100 billion.
    https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/national/2020/11/18/cost-unpaid-work-100-billion/
    What is it that Rupert Murdoch has that enables him to demand of our government millions of dollars of taxpayer’s money whenever he wants it, asks John Lord who says that this government’s dishonesty continues unabated.
    https://theaimn.com/government-dishonesty-continues-unabated/
    Older Australians and those employed by small businesses are being left behind by the recovery out of the coronavirus recession as the withdrawal of federal government support filters through the economy, explains Shane Wright.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/older-workers-dropping-behind-younger-people-for-new-jobs-20201117-p56fda.html
    The Australian Securities and Investments Commission has unloaded on the ASX for a second day, articulating its concern with the performance of the market’s main infrastructure and warning the market operator that its licence could be hit with “further actions”.
    https://www.afr.com/markets/equity-markets/asic-raises-hell-after-another-asx-component-fails-20201117-p56f9m
    David Crowe writes that a former union chief has warned that a growing split in one of Australia’s biggest unions will weaken its power to campaign for Labor and influence national policy,
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/i-gave-it-my-best-shot-union-split-set-to-weaken-base-at-crucial-time-for-labor-20201112-p56e75.html
    Australian Banking Association chief executive Anna Bligh says home and business owners will have to make tough choices next year as loan deferral plans and government stimulus packages come to an end, reports Charlotte Grieve.
    https://www.smh.com.au/business/banking-and-finance/time-of-reckoning-loan-deferrals-falling-but-warnings-worst-to-come-20201117-p56fb7.html
    You may be able to buy a COVID vaccine ahead of the government rollout. But jumping the queue comes at a price, warns The Conversation.
    https://theconversation.com/you-may-be-able-to-buy-a-covid-vaccine-ahead-of-the-government-rollout-but-jumping-the-queue-comes-at-a-price-149972
    And it tells us that buying and distributing a COVID-19 vaccine will involve hard ethical and practical choices.
    https://theconversation.com/buying-and-distributing-a-covid-19-vaccine-will-involve-hard-ethical-and-practical-choices-149980
    More smoke and mirrors from Rupert Murdoch, as News Corp gets all “scientific” with Big Tobacco, writes Rhys Muldoon.
    https://independentaustralia.net/business/business-display/news-corps-new-found-belief-in-science,14523
    Although not being happy with the 4 Corners report, Pru Goward provides some interesting insights into the goings on inside the Canberra “bubble”.
    https://www.smh.com.au/national/sex-and-power-the-human-resources-that-toxify-workplaces-20201117-p56f70.html
    Labor leader Anthony Albanese’s deputy chief of staff Sabina Husic has resigned after an anonymous “defamatory attack” online. Politics can be SO toxic!
    https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/top-albanese-staffer-resigns-after-malicious-false-attack-20201117-p56fgl.html
    Darren Pennay asks, “How can Australia reduce the risk of another ‘systemic polling failure’?”
    https://theconversation.com/how-can-australia-reduce-the-risk-of-another-systemic-polling-failure-149984
    The once “darling of the Coalition government”, Kathy Jackson, will be sentence on November 26.
    https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/no-evidence-union-boss-kathy-jackson-remorseful-for-100-000-fraud-says-judge-20201117-p56f90.html
    Caitlin Fitzsimmons looks at how people are beginning to return to the office for work.
    https://www.smh.com.au/business/workplace/better-than-remote-chance-the-office-is-back-20201117-p56fdy.html
    Alexandra Smith explains how NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet will stake the state’s economic recovery on debt-funded spending and sweeping tax reform, including the ambitious task of abolishing stamp duty.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/tax-reform-key-to-the-resurrecting-post-pandemic-nsw-budget-20201117-p56ffn.html
    Mike Foley reports that New technology to help bring down the cost of electric vehicle ownership is being rolled out to 300 households in a trial of systems for automated off-peak charging and supplying the electricity grid with power from car batteries.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/smart-grid-technology-to-spark-savings-for-electric-vehicle-owners-20201117-p56fc5.html
    Victorians have been promised Australia’s biggest household energy efficiency drive, with the Andrews government pledging $797m to programs it says will cut power bills and greenhouse gas emissions.
    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/nov/18/victoria-pledges-797m-for-australias-biggest-household-energy-efficiency-drive
    Buying an investment property in these days of record-low interest rates is not going to save you much tax, if any, explains Noel Whittaker.
    https://www.smh.com.au/money/super-and-retirement/there-s-no-longer-a-great-tax-incentive-for-negative-gearing-20201116-p56eyq.html
    Meanwhile, John Collett says that investment property mortgages on deferral remain persistently high and a crunch may be looming that could result in forced sales.
    https://www.smh.com.au/money/borrowing/crunch-time-looms-for-property-investors-on-repayment-holidays-20201113-p56eco.html
    Duncan Fine writes that, while Americans celebrate Kamala Harris’ rise to the top, there’s been a quiet ambivalence that her husband, Doug Emhoff, is set to become the ‘second spouse’.
    https://www.smh.com.au/world/north-america/as-first-man-becomes-second-spouse-the-unease-reveals-gender-barriers-20201117-p56fa3.html
    Today’s nomination for “Arseholes of the Week” goes to a couple of money launderers.
    https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/sydney-men-arrested-after-allegedly-sending-stolen-2-3-million-offshore-20201117-p56fe1.html
    And another goes to a mother of seven who has been charged with being at the centre of a web of scammers who made $800,000 from fake welfare claims and took money meant for people living with disabilities.
    https://www.theage.com.au/national/mum-of-seven-allegedly-led-syndicate-which-made-800k-from-welfare-fraud-20201117-p56f7x.html

    Cartoon Corner

    Cathy Wilcox

    Matt Golding



    Fiona Katauskas

    Glen Le Lievre

    John Spooner

    Mark Knight

    Simon Letch

    John Shakespeare

    From the US










  13. Imagine you are a Big Business desperate for migrants to prop up your business model.
    What to do, what to do?

    Then try this:
    Join CEDA, a group of 700 like minded businesses. You may be a member already.
    https://www.ceda.com.au/Membership

    Get one of their researchers to write an article about how UK & Canada are running increased immigration programs. Create a FOMO (fear of missing out) attitude. Pepper it with unfounded assertions about Australia needing migrants “to maintain local demand and help fill skills gaps”

    Drop the story to a Canberra Press Gallery journo – Jack Snape of ABC in this case.
    Step back.
    https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-11-18/australia-visas-canada-united-kingdom-competition-for-migrants/12876550

    Australia’s border controls may be trying to keep the virus out, but they are also hampering efforts to revive its stalled immigration program.
    Further hampering Australia’s efforts are an expanded migrant intake in Canada and the UK’s decision to make it easier for migrants to settle.
    ……..
    In economic terms, Australia needs migrants to maintain local demand and help fill skills gaps.

    Never mind that we have massive unemployment. It’s all part of perpetuating myths about why we need massive immigration.

  14. KayJay

    Hello
    My Internet connection is down so I can only use mobile and the reception is so weak here that I can read but posting is too hard.
    Telstra says there is nothing wrong with my service. Ha!

  15. Rick Wilson@TheRickWilson·
    8h
    Republicans start to relent: ‘It looks like it will be President Biden’ https://politi.co/2H8xSdN via @politico

    Relent faster.

    It truly has been astonishing how many Republicans have fallen in line behind Trump’s tantrum. Democrats were saying similar things in 2016, borne out of disappointment, but those were all random Dem people on Twitter, not sitting members in the congressional party.

  16. Always time for the AFP to investigate and raid union offices with media cameras front and centre but not at all interested in investigating government ministers.

  17. Victoria records 19th day with no new coronavirus cases, no new deaths

    The Department of Health and Human Services confirmed zero new infections and no deaths on Wednesday morning.

    The number of active cases remains steady at three, while there are no infections from an unknown source.

    A total of 17,354 COVID-19 tests results were received in the past 24 hours, which remained steady from the 17,412 on Tuesday.

  18. Maude Lynn

    “Never mind that we have massive unemployment. It’s all part of perpetuating myths about why we need massive immigration.”
    —————
    Like that recent report on the breathlessly reported disaster because of the “lack of workers for farm work”.

    A labour hire company had 2,500 Australians on their list and were unable to place one single worker!

    It turns out the farmers will only employ non-citizens. Australians need not apply.

    I assume it’s got something to do with exploitation or workers rights. The immigration system is just another racket.

    Wasn’t the NSW Premier’s boyfriend involved in the racket?

  19. Slowlee, slowlee, slowlee, slowlee, slowlee, slowlee, slowlee, slowlee, slowlee, slowlee, slowlee, slowlee, slowlee, slowlee, slowlee, slowlee, catchee Scrooter.

  20. Lizzie
    Wednesday, November 18th, 2020 – 8:38 am
    Comment #24

    Thanks young lady. I can relax now – I though that you may have the problem as described. How to rectify the situation – aye there’s the rub.

    My refrigerator, which has been on the blink for about three years is finally going to the refrigerator grave yard. The 34/35℃ heat a couple of days ago had the poor thing labouring and wheezing and today will go to its reward for long service.

    This is what passes for excitement chez KayJay.

    If you can read the posts then at least you will be up with the run of play. What to do in your situation is beyond me.

    Be kind to yourself. 🍹🍸🍫 – that’s chocolate.

  21. What better way to divert attention away from the many misdeeds of the Morrison government, than an AFP raid on the CFMMEU with favoured media present?

  22. A woman at work lost her internet despite Telstra saying there was nothing wrong with it. It was at least 2 weeks before they sent someone out to repair it.

  23. Breaking: The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has rejected the Trump campaign’s claim that Republicans lacked access to Philadelphia’s vote count proceedings. The ruling was 5-2 against the campaign.

    The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that Republican monitors observing vote counting in Philadelphia were given sufficient access under state law to view the proceedings.

    In a 5-2 decision, the court overturned a lower court decision that ordered monitors with President Donald Trump’s campaign be allowed within six feet of tables where ballots were being tallied.

    In its opinion, the Supreme Court found that the Philadelphia Board of Elections complied with requirements for observer access from the moment the first votes were counted.

    https://fusion.inquirer.com/news/trump-pennsylvania-lawsuit-election-results-rudy-giuliani-hearing-case-williamsport-20201117.html

  24. I am for unions and the power of collective actions in a democracy.See Hong Kong and Thailand as to why this is important in a democracy.

    However if the union is busted I hope the silver lining is that Labor can finally have a strong climate policy not in thrall to the fossil fuel sector.

  25. Mrs. Birminghan’s young son Simon has learned the art of deflection very well. Asked by Hamish (RN) why the Feds haven’t been critical of the SA government for the C.19 cluster in Adelaide, he responded (wwtte): “Look, I don’t want to get into semantics”.

  26. Fess

    Mine is ADSL through the phone line. When the power and then the phone eventually came back the Internet didn’t. I hope it doesn’t take weeks to fix!

  27. I just received this in an email from the NYT.

    Belgian authorities violated the human rights of nursing home residents by failing to protect them during the first months of the pandemic and leaving some to die prematurely, according to a report by Amnesty International.

    I wonder how many residents died on schedule. Perhaps we could say “leaving some to die from complications of covid-19”, or just “leaving some to die”.

  28. I have been having an intermittent, frequent sequence of internet drop outs and slower download speeds. This morning I called Telstra ang got straight through to a tech support person (Tess, with a lovely phone manner) who asked me a few questions and then ran some diagnostics. She confirmed the intermittency and booked an NBN service person to come on Friday morning to sort it out. Can’t complain about that service!

  29. It just goes to show how easy it is to manipulate people’s opinions when all the MSM (ie Stokes, Costello, ABC, & Murdoch media) are singing from the song sheets he hands out to his select set of ‘journalists’.

    I suspect we’ve entered a new world. As someone who just lived through the Qld Election I was expecting a marginal win by the LNP at best and a landslide at worst.
    The billboards, the half dozen SMS messages from Clive about a fictional “death tax”, Newspaper headlines screaming the end of the world, soft interviews for any LNP candidate and an underlying MSM theme of Coronavirus overreaction from Qld vs Victorian mismanagement.
    I refuse point blank to listen to the MSM these days, the only time I watch commercial TV is on Friday nights, and that’s simply because my Wife loves Better Homes and Gardens. I suspect I am far from the only person.
    The fact that a we now have a third term Labor government in Qld with an historic increased majority was definitely a pleasant surprise.

  30. BK @ #44 Wednesday, November 18th, 2020 – 9:58 am

    I have been having an intermittent, frequent sequence of internet drop outs and slower download speeds. This morning I called Telstra ang got straight through to a tech support person (Tess, with a lovely phone manner) who asked me a few questions and then ran some diagnostics. She confirmed the intermittency and booked an NBN service person to come on Friday morning to sort it out. Can’t complain about that service!

    Clearly, they recognize that the Dawn Patrol is an “essential service”, BK!

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