Government support has slumped to its lowest level since 2018, according to the latest Newspoll which suggests Labor will comfortably win the federal election due in May.
The Opposition is ahead 56-44 on a two-party-preferred basis, the Coalition’s worst polling performance since September 2018, a month after Malcolm Turnbull was replaced by Scott Morrison.
The 12-point lead puts Labor on track to comfortably win the election and suggests the Coalition could lose up to 25 seats.
Scott and Jenny Morrison at the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital over the weekend
The latest poll for The Australian newspaper comes as eastern Australia is ravaged by a large outbreak of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 which is causing widespread labour shortages.
The federal government has also faced heavy criticism over the widespread shortage of rapid antigen tests.
Labor has increased its lead since the last poll on December 6 when it was ahead 53-47.
The party’s primary vote is up three points to 41 per cent while the Coalition’s dropped two points to 34 per cent.
In more bad news for the government, Mr Morrison’s net satisfaction rating plummeted 11 points to -19 while Labor Leader Anthony Albanese’s rose out of negative figures to zero.
Mr Albanese has also narrowed the gap between his rival for preferred prime minister to just 43-41 in favour of Mr Morrison, from 45-36 at the last poll.
For the first time, more voters surveyed thought Labor was better placed to steer Australia out of the Covid-19 pandemic (33 per cent) compared with the coalition (32 per cent).
The survey of 1,526 voters indicated a lift to the Greens’ primary vote of one point to 11 per cent while One Nation stayed steady on three per cent.
Support for the independents and minor parties slipped two points to 11 per cent, according to the poll, which was conducted online between January 25 and 28.
Anthony Albanese talks to Linda Dessau AC, Governor of Victoria, ahead of the Men’s Singles Final match between Rafael Nadal of Spain and Daniil Medvedev of Russia on Rod Laver Arena on Sunday night
Which seats are Labor hoping to win?
Labor will be targeting Western Australia and Queensland, where it performed well below expectations in 2019.
Perhaps its best chance to pick up seats is in Western Australia, where uber-popular Labor premier Mark McGowan almost completely wiped out the Liberal Opposition at the state election last year on the back of his tough Covid border policies.
Insiders have told Daily Mail Australia the party will have strong campaigns in the Perth seats of Swan, Hasluck and Pearce, where ex attorney general Christian Porter is retiring after denying a historical rape allegation.
This map shows some of the key marginal seats held by Labor (in red) and the Coalition (in blue) with the percentage margin. There are other seats in contention too
