The Coalition look set to suffer a defeat at the hands of Labor next May as the latest Newspoll results revealed that support for the government has dipped to an historic low.
Support for Scott Morrison’s government has slumped with the Liberal National Party finding themselves 10 points behind Labor at 45-55 on a two-party preferred basis for the third Newspoll in a row.
The survey, published by The Australian, also showed that popular support for ScoMo’s party remains low, putting him in a similar situation to that faced by his predecessor Malcolm Turnbull at the end of 2017.
According to the results, the Coalition’s primary vote is currently at 35 per cent, while Labor sit at 41 per cent, with the next federal election just six months away.
The findings also revealed that less than a quarter of Australian voters believe the Coalition will bag a third term in power in May 2019, with one in three Coalition voters even believing that Labor will take the win.
However, Morrison managed to retain his lead over Shorten in the preferred leader stakes as he emerged with a slightly lower satisfaction rating of 42 per cent, while Shorten’s approval rating also fell by one point to 36 per cent.
Shorten did manage to close the gap slightly on Morrison though as he gained two points, rising to 36, as preferred prime minister, while the Liberal leader dropped two points to 44 per cent.
The Newspoll follows a tumultuous week in parliament after Morrison went head to head with Bill Shorten over border protection laws, even branding the Labor leader a “threat to Australia’s safety”.
Morrison, who took over as PM in August following a second leadership spill in the Liberal partyroom, narrowly avoided what would have likely been a humiliating defeat in the Lower House on the final sitting day of parliament after the amended home affairs bill was delayed in the Senate.
Speaking during a press conference at Parliament House on Thursday, Morrison labelled the Labor leader a “clear and present threat” to the country’s safety after Shorten sided with the Greens and key crossbench MPs over proposed amendments to Home Affairs legislation to allow for faster medical treatment for refugees on Manus Island and Nauru.
“This is about Australia’s national security,” Morrison said.And Bill Shorten is a clear and present threat to Australia’s safety. Because he is so obsessed with politics, that he cannot see the national interest.”