When voters were asked which of the two sides had the party and leader that offered strong leadership,46 per cent said Labor and Albanese,while 21 per cent backed the Coalition and Dutton. This compared to 48 per cent and only 16 per cent last month.
Asked to name the side with a vision for the future,41 per cent said Labor and Albanese,while 21 per cent named Dutton and the Coalition. This compared to 43 per cent and only 17 per cent last month.
Asked to name the side they considered competent,43 per cent named Labor and Albanese while 23 per cent named the Coalition and Dutton. This compared to 44 per cent and 19 per cent last month.
Over these measures and others,Labor kept a significant lead over the Coalition but found some of its gains were eroded during the past month. On policy issues,the biggest setbacks for Labor were on healthcare and jobs.
The Coalition increased its lead on a single policy issue:national security and defence. When voters were asked to name their preferred side,32 per cent chose Labor and Albanese while 35 per cent chose the Coalition and Dutton.
“It looks like Albanese and Labor’s election honeymoon is over,” Resolve director Jim Reed said.
“They are still well ahead of the Coalition on many measures,but are now receding from their high tide mark.
“Given that the major drops are on broad measures of leadership,team,vision and progress,it appears that the electorate is naturally starting to ask questions of the government after the break. How do the things that they have done so far and the things they have planned fit into a vision?”
Reed said the comments submitted by the survey respondents – who have an opportunity to write their own words as well as answer questions – singled out living costs and the economy as a key focus.
On Albanese,one respondent said:“He has managed to further his agenda without getting into culture wars.”
Another said:“Cost of living is out of control,but all he can talk about is climate,Indigenous issues and refugees.”
On Dutton,one respondent said:“He’s taking it up to Albo now,without going over the top.” Another said:“He doesn’t inspire me as a leader. Where are his big ideas?”
Because the Resolve Political Monitor asks voters to nominate their primary votes in the same way they would write “1” on the ballot papers for the lower house at the election,there is no undecided category in the primary vote results,a key difference from some other surveys.
Labor retains an emphatic lead against the Coalition in primary vote terms but this lead has narrowed to 9 percentage pointsin the latest survey,compared to 13 points in the January survey.
Asked about Albanese in the latest survey,56 per cent of voters said he was doing a good job (down from 60 per cent last month) and 31 per cent said he was doing a poor job (up from 25 per cent).
This resulted in a net performance rating of 25 percentage points,down from 35 points last month and a peak of 39 points in the first Resolve Political Monitor after last year’s election.
Asked about Dutton,29 per cent said he was doing a good job (unchanged) and 45 per cent said he was doing a poor job (down from 46 per cent).
His net rating was minus 16 percentage points,down from 17 points four weeks ago but worse than his ratings last year.
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