Resolve director Jim Reed said the problem for the Coalition was that the government could point to achievements in areas like avoiding COVID deaths and driving unemployment lower but this was undermined by voter perceptions of tardiness,indecision or waste.
“The Coalition doesn’t have a standout policy weakness – instead it is its performance and behaviours that have become the chinks in its armour,” Mr Reed said.
“While the government have been trying to pull people back to focus on the marble edifice of success,Labor has done a great job at pushing people forward to highlight the cracks at the base of each policy column. It’s given them permission to protest with their vote.”
The questions to respondents on policies asked them to judge the leader and the party,making the results more than an opinion on the parties alone.
Asked which side was best at keeping the cost of living low,25 per cent named Mr Morrison and the Coalition but 30 per cent named Mr Albanese and Labor,with another 32 per cent undecided and 13 per cent preferring others.
Labor holds a lead of five percentage points on this measure in the latest survey but the government led on the measure for most of last year.
While Mr Morrison and the Coalition gained ground on national security,with a lead of 18 points compared to 15 points in February,they lost some of their leads on other fronts including managing the nation’s finances (down from 16 to 12 points) and economic management (down from 12 to 11 points.)
Mr Albanese and Labor increased their lead on jobs and wages from two to six points since February while also gaining ground on managing welfare (from seven to 13 points) and industrial relations (from seven to nine points).
Voters have turned against the government over the past year when asked about competence,giving the Coalition a lead of only one percentage point against Labor in the latest survey compared to an advantage of 17 points after the budget last May.
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Asked about which side is the best choice for themselves and their households,29 per cent name Mr Morrison and the Coalition while 31 per cent name Mr Albanese and Labor.
Yet 25 per cent of voters are undecided on this question,highlighting the room for gains on either side during the campaign.
Asked about which side is best for the country as a whole,30 per cent name Mr Morrison and the Coalition while 29 per cent name Mr Albanese and Labor,with 27 per cent undecided.
“Policy is not Labor’s vulnerability right now but leadership is,” Mr Reed said.
“Labor has successfully framed Morrison in people’s minds over the last two years but is now racing to introduce Albanese as an acceptable alternative. If voters end up judging him a risk not worth taking,that vote lead may evaporate.”
Jacqueline Maley cuts through the noise of the federal election campaign with news,views and expert analysis.Sign up to our Australia Votes 2022 newsletter here.