The latest opinion poll from Roy Morgan Research has shown the Australian Labor Party has increased its lead over the Liberal National Party as energy prices caused by the Russia and Ukraine conflict has led to soaring petrol prices

The latest data shows Labor up two points to lead 58 to 42 over the Coalition on a two-party preferred basis.

Primary support for the Labor also increased 37.5% in mid-March as petrol prices in Australia hit record highs.

CEO Roy Morgan, Michele Levine, said the drop in support for the Liberal Party is due to “the soaring price of petrol.”

“This is the first decisive move in support for either party since the Russian invasion of Ukraine a month ago caused a large spike in petrol prices around Australia,” she said.

“The last week has been a good one for the ALP with South Australian ALP Leader Peter Malinauskas leading the party to an easy victory in the State Election over the weekend. The victory for the Malinauskas-led ALP marks the first victory for an Opposition Party since the COVID-19 pandemic began in March 2020.

“Petrol prices in Australia have increased significantly this year and are now well above $2 per litre and at record highs.”

The latest figures come as a new study from The Australian National University (ANU) adds to the Coalition’s woes, finding a number of Australians who said they would vote for the Liberal party dropped to just 32 per cent in early 2022.

Lead author Professor Nicholas Biddle highlighted a number of issues that could explain the drop in the Coalition’s support.

“Those who thought environmental concerns were more serious were more likely to withdraw their support from the Coalition government,” he said.

“In addition to this, the Coalition seems to have lost support among females, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians and young Australians.

“By January 2022 only 32.2 per cent of adult Australians said they would vote for a Coalition member if an election was held at that time.

“This is significantly lower than the 37 per cent who said they would vote for Labor, who would appear to have been in an election-winning position.”