Essential Research: leadership ratings and COVID management

Downward motion for Anthony Albanese and the Berejiklian goverment in the latest Essential poll.

First up, note that below this post is a review of recent happenings in the United States, United Kingdom and Germany by Adrian Beaumont.

Now to the fortnightly Essential Research poll, which includes the pollster’s monthly leadership ratings. Scott Morrison’s position has not further declined since last month, with his approval down one to 50% and disapproval steady on 40%. However, Anthony Albanese, who has long done relatively well out of this pollster in consistently recording net positive ratings, has taken a seven-point tumble on approval to 34%, while his disapproval is up three to 38%. The change on preferred prime minister is more modest, with Morrison’s lead out from 46-28 to 45-26. The effects of all this on the BludgerTrack trends can be observed here.

The stabilisation in Morrison’s personal ratings are not matched in the regular question on the government’s response to COVID-19, which has approached net negative territory for the first time with an eight-point drop in good to 38% and a four-point rise in poor to 35%. The Berejiklian government’s good rating of 47% is down seven points on what was already its worst result last month; the Victorian government is up five to 54%; and the Queensland government is down two to 60%. The Western Australian and South Australian ratings of 82% and 73% are off unreliably small samples, but both are well in line with their long-term averages.

Respondents in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia were asked about the lockdowns in their states, the survey period having begun before the Queensland lockdown. Fifty per cent of New South Wales respondents felt the government had not locked down hard enough, compared with 11% for too hard and 39% for about right. By contrast, 71% of Victorian and 85% of South Australian respondents felt their governments had it about right. However, there is some evidence of a shift in attitudes in Victoria in that more felt the lockdown too harsh (23%) than not harsh enough (6%). The respective results in South Australia were 6% and 9%, a difference well within the margin of error.

The poll sample had two bob each way on lockdown support: 47% believed the federal government was doing enough compared with 37% for not enough and 6% for too much, yet 66% supported the return of JobKeeper with only 11% opposed. The lockdown protests of the weekend before last had 18% support with 67% opposed (which is at least more favourable than the numbers reported from New South Wales by Utting Research). The poll was conducted Wednesday to Sunday from a sample of 1057.

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.

1,202 comments on “Essential Research: leadership ratings and COVID management”

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  1. With the latest Houston revelation since he is a friend of Scott Morrison , how long til newsltd and other lib/nats propaganda media units, will try to link Labor to someone similar to get the focus off morrison


  2. Shellbellsays:
    Thursday, August 5, 2021 at 1:55 pm
    National daily vaccines – 221,000 with NSW about 83,000 (looks roughly like 50:50 first and second).

    Qld starting to pick up vaccine pace

    Currently Gladys put the proverbial figurative ‘get vaccination’ gun to the head of NSW and asking them to take vaccine or else things will continue like this
    So the vaccines are looking good.

  3. Scott says:
    Thursday, August 5, 2021 at 4:23 pm
    With the latest Houston revelation since he is a friend of Scott Morrison , how long til newsltd and other lib/nats propaganda media units, will try to link Labor to someone similar to get the focus off morrison

    Murdoch’s DT has had some fairly severe criticism of Hillsong, especially the $$ aspect.

  4. I nearly cried when I heard that Brian Huston had been charged today.

    I did say to my son though, watch Scott Morrison throw the friendship car into a massive reverse, speeds away from the guy at a million miles an hour and as he pulls a Trump and says, ‘I hardly knew him’.

  5. Chris O’Keefe
    @cokeefe9
    The NSW Government’s financial package is farcically bad.

    Business Grants (one off)
    Memo $1 billion worth of applications received
    Money bag Amount paid – $217 million

    JobSaver (weekly payment)

    Memo $304 million in applications received
    Money bag $50 million paid

    But hey.. Gladys says “she’ll be right tomorrow.. we had no idea we would be so busy”…


  6. lizziesays:
    Thursday, August 5, 2021 at 2:21 pm
    Speaker Tony Smith:

    Before I go to the next question. When questions don’t mention the leader of the Opposition, it is not an invitation for the Prime Minister at the end of his answer to make a political statement,

    Morrison repeats his lies of yesterday saying that Albo isn’t speaking to Frewen.

    So Albanese did not speak to the. General. What is the big deal? What will change if Albanese speaks? He is the opposition leader not the PM.

    I am asking one simple question. Does Morrison think we are all so stupid we will vote for Morrison because Albanese did not speak with the general?

  7. Benita Kolovos
    @benitakolovos
    Victoria to enter a seven day statewide lockdown from 8pm TONIGHT.

    Get that Gladys.. STATE wide, tell us again how tough you are. All of these last few lockdowns all over Australia are her lazy fault

  8. Ven @ #968 Thursday, August 5th, 2021 – 4:32 pm


    lizziesays:
    Thursday, August 5, 2021 at 2:21 pm
    Speaker Tony Smith:

    Before I go to the next question. When questions don’t mention the leader of the Opposition, it is not an invitation for the Prime Minister at the end of his answer to make a political statement,

    Morrison repeats his lies of yesterday saying that Albo isn’t speaking to Frewen.

    So Albanese did not speak to the. General. What is the big deal? What will change if Albanese speaks? He is the opposition leader not the PM.

    I am asking one simple question. Does Morrison think we are all so stupid we will vote for Morrison because Albanese did not speak with the general?

    That’s a Straw General defence.

    And like, when did the Soft Military Coup occur? Since when did the Leader of Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition have to go to the General? The General should go to the LOTO, IF the LOTO thinks he needs to speak to him.

  9. Henrys at 4:36 pm
    More accurately -“Your close friend and mentor.”

    …in 2008, Mr Morrison thanked Mr Houston for his “great assistance”, describing him as a mentor

    https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/national/2019/09/23/hillsong-brian-houston-scott-morrison/
    A Crikey headline may yet come true. From 2019
    .
    27 Sept 2019 — Scott Morrison’s close relationship with Hillsong pastor Brian Houston may be one of the lasting headaches of his prime ministership.
    https://www.crikey.com.au/2019/09/27/morrison-pentacostal-brian-houston/


  10. Ashasays:
    Thursday, August 5, 2021 at 3:15 pm
    It might more appropriate for people to base their votes on the actions and policies of actual elected MPs, rather than us random nobodies on Poll Bludger. This isn’t the campaign trail, it’s an internet forum.

    Well said

  11. Both Frewen and Albo have confirmed that they will be meeting but Scomo is trying to smear Albo by denying it. That’s why Albo is angry.

  12. All I can say is, Scott Morrison was well aware of the historic charges that had been levelled against Brian Huston. And he did nothing about it. However, let me predict that Scott Morrison will now take all the credit for the rozzers charging Huston. However, we should also remember that if it wasn’t for Julia Gillard calling the Royal Commission into Child Sexual Abuse, none of this would have come to pass.


  13. Victoriasays:
    Thursday, August 5, 2021 at 3:41 pm
    Victorian lockdown is happening.
    Dont know further details.

    Who should be blamed for this lockdown?

  14. Lizzie @ #978 Thursday, August 5th, 2021 – 4:43 pm

    Both Frewen and Albo have confirmed that they will be meeting but Scomo is trying to smear Albo by denying it. That’s why Albo is angry.

    I bet Shonky Scott is swearing a blue streak behind closed doors at The Lodge that Albanese got the jump on him wrt the cash incentive for vaccination and that economists agree with Albanese. Also that NSW is going pear-shaped.

  15. Victorians have been plunged into a 7-daysnap lockdown from 8pm tonight, as the state grapples with growing cases of Covid-19.

    Residents will only be able to leave their home for five reasons – being to shop for essentials, for authorised work or permitted education, to provide care and for medical and compassionate reasons, to get vaccinated or tested and to exercise for a maximum of two hours.

    Speaking to media, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said he had “no alternative” but to take lockdown action across the entire state.

    “I would prefer we didn’t have to make this decision,” he said on Thursday afternoon, additing it would be “unlikely” for the lockdown to lift any sooner.

  16. Delta has made effective TTIQ impossible without a lockdown. This means the PMs plan from last week is meaningless, if it ever had any meaning to begin with. Even if Australia reaches a vaccination level of 70% (56%) or 80% (64%) of the ‘Eligible Population’, TTIQ will not be able to cope with the number of symptomatic infections even at a low level because of the speed of delta.

    Victoria is locking down with 8 cases because TTIQ is too far behind the rate of the virus spread. NSW is nowhere near managing TTIQ with less than 300 cases per day.

    The Doherty modelling estimated 390,362 Symptomatic Infections (2,168 per day average) over the first 180 days at 70% (56%) of the ‘Eligible Population’ fully vaccinated where TTIQ was ONLY PARTIALLY EFFECTIVE, due to high caseloads.

    I say it again, NSW TTIQ is ALREADY operating at ONLY a PARTIALLY EFFECTIVE level with less than 300 cases per day WITH A LOCKDOWN in place. The PMs plan assumes that the States will have the capacity to operate an OPTIMALLY (not partial) EFFECTIVE TTIQ with minimal lockdowns when symptomatic infections will be at least 10 TIMES HIGHER than the current symptomatic infections level in NSW.

    It was good while it lasted, perhaps it is time to move to NZ.

  17. The rabid dogs of the msm are pumping Dan Andrews for answers to questions he’s already answered with this press conference currently being aired on 7TWO but he still answers them.
    Where were the fucking msm asking the questions of gladys and her crew of useless fuckwits?
    This situation is doing my head in the way the libs are handled with kid gloves compared to Labor.

  18. Gotta keep those Whoppers flying out the door!

    Exclusive
    Hungry Jack’s founder says we must learn from UK and live with virus
    1 hour ago (SMH)

  19. Channel 9 move (relatively) leftward might be as a result of the merger with Fairfax.
    Channel 7 is certainly playing in the tabloid zone and there is only really room for one….. but you can see this in their true crime rubbish that is often rubbish like the “real” killer of Peter Falanco etc.

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