Politics

Calls for Turnbull to resign after losing 30th consecutive Newspoll

Apr 09, 2018

Can Turnbull continue on as prime minister of Australia? Source: Getty

There are fresh calls for Malcolm Turnbull to step down as prime minister of Australia this morning.

Exclusively published in Monday’s edition of The Australian, Turnbull has now lost his 30 consecutive Newspoll. This means has now matched Tony Abbott’s 30 poll losing streak, which Turnbull used as an excuse to oust Abbott as leader in 2015.

Bill Shorten’s Labor Opposition continues to sit ahead of the Government with a two-party preferred vote of 52-48. In addition, Labor’s primary vote has increased by two points to 39 per cent, while the Coalition rose to 38 per cent.

Despite that, Turnbull is still holding on as preferred leader of Australia. The latest results have him sitting on 38 per cent, while Shorten is at 36 per cent. Many, including Abbott, are questioning if Turnbull should be allowed to keep his job, given this was the exact reason he chose to step up as leader three years ago.

“The one thing that is clear about our current situation is the trajectory,” Turnbull said of Abbott’s losing streak in 2015. “We have lost 30 Newspolls in a row. It is clear that the people have made up their mind about Mr Abbott’s leadership.”

Abbott has made it very clear that he and the public deserve answers if Turnbull is allowed to remain as PM after this latest blow. Speaking on 2GB radio, the former Prime Minister told host Ray Hadley that Newspolls should never play a role in leadership worthiness.

#BREAKING: Malcolm Turnbull has lost his 30th consecutive #Newspoll https://t.co/PYshtLflAG pic.twitter.com/UNhKhqGA1r

— The Australian (@australian) April 8, 2018

“I never made the polls the be all and the end all,” he explained. “I never turned the poll into the ultimate test of leadership. It was someone else who did that. It was the prime minister who set this test and I guess if he fails the test it will be the prime minister who will have to explain why the test was right for one and not right for the other.”

Social media is already outraged, calling for Turnbull to do the “honourable” thing and to step down.

One person on Facebook wrote: “So the number used by yourself to knife Abbott hs been reached. If you were an honourable man Malcolm, you would stand down and give a real Liberal a chance to improve the parties chances”.

Another said: “Turnbull should now do the honourable thing, and resign. He’s a failed PM. Can you even think of a single thing he’s accomplished? Or even a single thing he’s said that sticks in the mind? I can’t. Mr White Privilege who just waffles on”.

A third message added: “The leader is only as strong as his team. No matter who they vote in, the result will be the same. The Liberals need to look deeper into their party at the problems, not just at Turnbull”.

Turnbull has said that the only test that determines who is leader of the Liberal party is having the support of the party.