Resolve Strategic: 54-46 to Labor (open thread)

The first post-Bondi poll suggests real but limited damage for Labor on voting intention, and a solid hit to Anthony Albanese on personal approval.

Nine Newspapers has results from what it is calling a “special” Resolve Strategic poll, presumably because it was commissioned specifically to gauge reaction to the Bondi shootings, conducted Wednesday to Saturday from a sample of 1010. It is thus not part of the pollster’s normal monthly series, which typically targets 1600 respondents and presumably produced its final result for the year a fortnight ago. The field work period for that poll was from December 3 – the date first reports appeared that Communications Minister Annika Wells had spent nearly $100,000 on air fares to New York for herself and two staffers, thus initiating a period of bad publicity for the government concerning travel expenses – to December 7.

The latest poll finds only a modest decline in support for Labor on two-party preferred, their lead narrowing from 55-45 to 54-46. However, Labor is down three on the primary vote to 32% with the Coalition up two to 28%, with the Greens up one to 12% and One Nation up two to 16%. Anthony Albanese takes a substantial hit on his personal ratings, his combined very good and good rating down eight to 40% and poor plus very poor up six to 49%, and his lead as preferred prime minister has narrowed from 41-26 to 38-30. Sussan Ley’s personal ratings have also weakened, down three on very good plus good to 36% and up three on poor plus very poor to 40%.

Despite everything, 37% rate social cohesion in Australia as very good or good, compared with 30% for poor or very poor, with the balance undecided. Twenty-nine per cent rate the government’s response to the attacks as strong and 46% as weak, and 72% agree that there has been “a rise in racism and religious intolerance in Australia, including as a result of the Israel-Gaza conflict”, with only 9% disagreement. A further question, whose utility I have my doubts about, finds 55% rating that there has been more anti-Semitism than Islamophobia in recent months, compared with 13% vice-versa and 32% for unsure or both equally.

UPDATE: Further results have been published by Nine Newspapers today, including a finding that 76% want tougher gun laws, compared with only 6% for relaxing them and 10% for keeping them as they are. Respondents were given a list of nine “priorities for government” and asked to pick the two most important, with those at the law enforcement end of the equation (49% for preventing terrorist attacks, 45% tackling crime generally, 35% restricting access to guns) favoured over more abstract concerns (33% preventing radicalisation, 29% tackling anti-Semitism and 26% tackling hate speech).

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.

1,498 thoughts on “Resolve Strategic: 54-46 to Labor (open thread)”

Comments Page 27 of 30
1 … 26 27 28 … 30

  1. Seasonal greeting from the Cave where it’s still nice and cool.

    We have a forecast max of about 40 degrees and extreme fire danger rating. I drew the short straw to be on standby for the night shift in our fire brigade so I can’t even throw some icy cold beers down my neck.

    However, the day is mostly for the youngsters and we will have plenty of them milling around.

    Cheers.

  2. Merry Xmas to all.
    Many thanks to all the worker bees who keep the place ticking over providing articles and links evey day.

    Cheers

  3. Can I add my thanks to all who keep this site going.
    It provides a valuable service and entertainment for someone increasingly becoming isolated in what they can manage and do.

  4. Many, many years ago, while a member of the St Peter’s Anglican Church Choir I sang every possible Christmas carol and song. My favorite remains While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks by Night.
    Merry Christmas all.

  9. “Boerwarsays:
    Thursday, December 25, 2025 at 8:31 am
    OH was just regaling us with tales of the Brown Bombers.
    She was taught to say ‘Happy Christmas’ because ‘Merry Christmas’ made the birth of JC seem frivolous.
    It has stuck with her for seven decades.”

    I always say “Merry Christmas” because it conveys active joyfulness. “Happy Christmas” seems so passive in comparison.

    I don’t think active joyfulness is frivolous at all – we need a lot more of it.

  10. Was walking in a park in Ho Chi Minh City a few days before Christmas last year when a teenage girl in school uniform, came past me from behind, quietly singing.

    Glor…orrr…Orr….oria, in excelsis deo …

    I know that song I said as she caught up. (Angels we have heard on high for any who don’t know it).

    We had a brief conversation. She was off to one of her last days of the year at her catholic school.

    A nice little highlight of Christmas in Vietnam.

  11. All pace attack for Boxing Day test

    Australia 12: Steve Smith (capt), Jake Weatherald, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Usman Khawaja, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Mitchell Starc, Michael Neser, Jhye Richardson, Scott Boland, Brendan Doggett.

  12. C@tmomma says:
    Wednesday, December 24, 2025 at 11:34 pm

    How smart is President Zelenskyy?
    Answer: very smart
    He is proposing a demilitarised zone for the Donetsk region of Eastern Ukraine.
    It works for the Koreas.
    _________________________________________________________

    I can’t see Putin being very pleased with that suggestion.

  14. Kronomex says:
    Thursday, December 25, 2025 at 10:44 am
    C@tmomma says:
    Wednesday, December 24, 2025 at 11:34 pm

    How smart is President Zelenskyy?
    Answer: very smart
    He is proposing a demilitarised zone for the Donetsk region of Eastern Ukraine.
    It works for the Koreas.
    _________________________________________________________

    I can’t see Putin being very pleased with that suggestion.

    Definitely. That’s why it’s such a bloody good wedge by Zelenskyy. Putin doesn’t ‘own’ the area he covets yet, it’s still Ukraine, so he’s not in a position to call the shots, especially if a reasonable proposition has been made. If he flat out refuses he is seen as being the one who doesn’t believe in a fair deal for both sides, only a deal which is advantageous to himself.

  15. Merry Xmas everyone.

    Hope everyone has a good day whatever they do.

    Always a good time to reflect on past Christmas times and the good memories of times shared with loved ones that are no longer with us.

    All the best to you William and thanks for hosting this blog where you could not find a more diverse group of people providing information, entertainment, wisdom and their own particular political views.

    Where would we be without it!

  18. Ummmm…..

    The demilitarized zone ‘works’ for the koreas because no-one lives in it.

    It is now one of the very best national parks in East Asia.

    The DMZ between North and South Vietnam was a dmz that failed utterly.

    The Rhineland was demilitarized under the Treaty of Versailles until Hitler ordered the troops in in 1936.

  22. ‘Mavis says:
    Thursday, December 25, 2025 at 11:11 am
    …’
    ================
    Thanks. Interesting. I notice that the writer did not nominate a global depression as something that might make 2026 interesting.

  23. Test 12 (no spinner)
    Jake Weatherald
    Travis Head
    Marnus Labuschagne
    Steve Smith (c)
    Usman Khawaja
    Alex Carey
    Cameron Green
    Michael Neser
    Mitchell Starc
    Scott Boland
    Jhye Richardson
    Brendan Doggett

  25. May as well do it. Lunch is still an hour away.

    Torquay Surf Calender 2026.
    Surfing wax pack
    A bucket hat
    Air Fryer
    Book – Gold seeking Victoria in the 1850’s
    Book – A guide to Australian Rocks, fossils and landscapes.
    Small esky.
    Hip flask.

  26. Merry Christmas to all here!

    And from Ukraine:

    “’May he perish,’ — Zelensky voices Ukrainians’ wish in his Christmas Eve address”
    https://kyivindependent.com/may-he-perish-zelensky-voices-ukrainians-wish-in-his-christmas-eve-address/

    President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the nation on Christmas Eve, recalling a traditional belief that “the heavens open” on this night and that Ukrainians make a single wish.

    “‘May he perish,’ each of us may think to ourselves,” Zelensky said, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin. “But when we turn to God, of course, we ask for something greater.”

    “We ask for peace for Ukraine. We fight for it. And we pray for it. And we deserve it,” Zelensky said. He added that Ukrainians wish for every family to live in harmony and for every child to rejoice in gifts, smiles, and faith in goodness and miracles.

    Zelensky also expressed hope that goodness and truth would prevail: “That there may be a victory of peace. That there may be us. And that there may be Ukraine.”

  28. Scanned that MP’s earn more than 95% of the community

    I don’t think so, and not by a long, long way

    In fact, with the explanatory note that my income includes my wife’s income because of the way I have structured our superannuation accounts plus other investments in her name for tax purposes, our incomes exceed the salary and entitlements of a MP, and tax free

    So I fly and my wife and I fly to the City of my birth for reunions and events (for starters)

    The levels of deposits held by our 4 major banks are figures which confirm their is wide spread wealth and income across society

    Moving cities for employment is a normal these days including now overseas and where such a move becomes permanent

    But for Federal MP’s, with sitting weeks and other requirements there is disruption to family life hence the compensations allowing family to travel to you

    I have absolutely no problem with this

    And if they want to upgrade out of their own pockets, well ok also

    Many a year ago I spent a considerable time on secondment to Treasury in Canberra and was well aware that many MP’s owned a second property in Canberra for which they were compensated thru living away from home provisions

    Others stayed in hotels (noting the influx of staff as well), compensated for this cost

    In fact, for the property my employer leased for me, I paid the princely sum of $11- a week in rent, receiving far more from the property I owned in my home Capital

    The interest on my home loan (at a concessional rate of interest) was tax deductible, offsetting the rent I was receiving

    Some of the commentary is by some who have not lived in such a manner – and maybe envious of the benefits employment delivers

    So good cheer for next year includes that employment opportunities maintain and that wages increase by in excess of inflation

    Because that, superannuation, compounding and time, paying down your home mortgage and consumer debt are the drivers of wealth

    With a little help from inflation, which has always been the case, the emphasis on “little” noting the RBA band

    That said there are now knocks on the door, ahead of 19 (so table extensions noting there are 3 high chairs!!)

    And to digress, any mention of NATO and Ukraine membership?

    What a waste this conflict has been at every level

  29. Sad to see that a car displaying a ‘Happy Chanukah’ sign has been firebombed overnight in St Kilda East.

    Why don’t people just leave the Jewish community alone!?!

  30. Hi again from Hobart, where there is snow on Mt Wellington/kunanyi, squally rain and strong winds for those of us who live nearer to sea level. And an ambient temperature of about 6 degrees as of lunchtime.

    As we say down here: “Tasmania, where every day is perfect… …somewhere else on the planet.”

    I hope things are a bit brighter where most of you are and that you are eating and drinking far more than you should. Making up for me, who remains under doctor’s orders and is making do with some nice seafood and a bottle of non-alcoholic beer:-(.

  31. c@t: “Why don’t people just leave the Jewish community alone!?!”

    Assuming that they were Islamists, I think that question is a little bit like asking why Putin won’t leave Ukraine alone? Or why won’t Trump stop being a corrupt dickhead?

    As the mighty Bob Dylan put it, the answer is blowing in the wind.

  33. ”
    Bizzcansays:
    Thursday, December 25, 2025 at 7:34 am
    1kg of smelly soaps was gifted – merry Christmas all.
    ”

    Good or bad smell? 🙂

  34. meher baba,
    A very mild 21C here on the Central Coast of NSW. And a mild week ahead forecast. I would like to be in Hobart one day at Christmas, however, because it seems more like a traditional Christmas experience.

  35. Former Hawke/Keating cabinet minister Nick Bolkus, a giant of South Australian Labor, is being acclaimed for his significant role in shaping the nation. Mr Bolkus, who died peacefully on Christmas morning, served as a South Australian Senator from 1980 to 2005, and was Immigration and Ethnic Affairs Minister from 1993-96.

  36. BTW it snowed last night, an actual white Christmas in Hobart (on the mountain). Weirdest summer of all time. Hasnt snowed on Christmas day in 40 years.

    The Southern Annular Mode remains neutral, this time of year it is usually negative which pushes the low fronts south and allows the high pressures to dwell over the great Australian bite and Tasmania (warm weather). Meaning we have high westerly winds, October windiest October on record at 20% higher averages than normal. But there has been a multi year trend that the SAM remains positive for longer.

    The idea Tasmania will become the southern riviera are debunked, its becoming windier which brings down the ‘feels like’ temperature a lot due to wind chill, causes greater ground evaporation coupled with lower rainfalls means we’re moving into colder drier climate.

    The Southern Annular Mode (SAM) refers to the north-south movement of rain-bearing westerly winds and weather systems in the Southern Ocean, compared to the usual seasonal position. A positive SAM refers to a southward shift while a negative SAM refers to an northward shift. The typical impact on Australian rainfall from positive and negative phases of SAM depends on the time of year and interaction with other climate indicators such as El Niño or La Niña.

  38. Ahh, I see MB pipped me on the snow call.

    I recall reading the old mnemonics on the apple spray shed as a kid. The had been written up there at the turn of the 1900s. One I recall said that if the first weekend of December was wet, all of summer’s weekends would be wet. The weather pattern they referred to was the 7 day cycle of 2 wet and 5 dry days, it has held up this year. I also recall my grandfather telling me about a common 20 year weather cycle, where it would be exceedingly wet.

  43. It is perfectly obvious to everyone that the police state is targeted towards suppressing muslims.

    If there were ever a strategy to isolate, inflame and radicalize muslim opinion in Australia then the police state is the way to go.

  45. Ven,
    Of course, people can still come together for New Year’s Eve. The new law is simply meant to allow people to celebrate over the festive season but not to allow protest marches or rallies for 14 days.

  46. Boerwar says:
    Thursday, December 25, 2025 at 2:36 pm
    It is perfectly obvious to everyone that the police state is targeted towards suppressing muslims.

    If there were ever a strategy to isolate, inflame and radicalize muslim opinion in Australia then the police state is the way to go.
    ————
    I thought it was “Nazis” and/or anti-semites they were targeting.

    Do you think Sydney is a police state?

  47. Retribution fears as Australian Muslims see surge in Islamophobic hate since Bondi terror attack

    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/dec/24/retribution-fears-australian-muslims-surge-islamophobic-hate-since-bondi-terror-attack-ntwnfb

    “Threats and hate speech against Muslim Australians have surged in the wake of the Bondi beach attack, with one mosque receiving dozens of offensive phone calls and reports of people being targeted in the street.

    As Australia’s Jewish community deals with trauma from the attack that killed 15 people at a Hanukah event, religious leaders say societal and political divisions has led to other groups being targeted by hatred.”

  48. HH: “Former Hawke/Keating cabinet minister Nick Bolkus, a giant of South Australian Labor, is being acclaimed for his significant role in shaping the nation. Mr Bolkus, who died peacefully on Christmas morning, served as a South Australian Senator from 1980 to 2005, and was Immigration and Ethnic Affairs Minister from 1993-96.”
    ——————————————————————————
    I was sorry to see that. I had a bit to do with him back in the day. He was a big presence in the role of Immigration Minister, often for good and sometimes less so. He was far stronger on border control than the next Labor immigration minister Chris Evans (although I suspect Evans was generally just implementing policies that originated in the mind of Rudd). He got out of politics at a relatively young age (mid-50s) and then went into consulting. Vale.

  49. Sky News,
    “Shadow education minister Julian Leeser has fiercely called out Anthony Albanese for declining to call a Commonwealth Royal Commission into the Bondi massacre, saying the Prime Minister was “desecrating the memory” of victims by not doing so.”

    The ‘desecrating of memory’ of victims is the political aftermath by those desperate to be significant and a number of media organisations.

    A disgrace!

  50. Rakali says:
    Thursday, December 25, 2025 at 2:45 pm

    Boerwar says:
    Thursday, December 25, 2025 at 2:36 pm
    It is perfectly obvious to everyone that the police state is targeted towards suppressing muslims.

    If there were ever a strategy to isolate, inflame and radicalize muslim opinion in Australia then the police state is the way to go.
    ————
    I thought it was “Nazis” and/or anti-semites they were targeting.

    Do you think Sydney is a police state?’
    ==================
    I think you will find that when the police decide which demonstrations are allowed to go ahead and which ones are banned you have a police state.

Comments Page 27 of 30
1 … 26 27 28 … 30

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *