Anthony Albanese is slowly regaining favour as voters turn to his party to resolve three of the biggest key issues in the country.
The latest Redbridge Group/Accent Research poll for the Australian Financial Review shows the Prime Minister’s net approval has improved after it plummeted in the wake of the Bondi terrorist attack on December 14.
Albanese’s net approval is minus nine, eight points up from a month ago, but still trails One Nation leader Pauline Hanson (minus one) and Coalition Opposition Leader Angus Taylor (minus two).
He remains the country’s most preferred Prime Minister with support steady at 33 per cent, well ahead of Hanson (23 per cent) and Taylor (14 per cent).
Voters believe that Labor was the best party to address three key issues: cost-of-living, housing affordability and health care.
But it trails the Coalition on economic management, while One Nation remains the best party to address the rate of immigration.
Labor’s primary vote dropped one point to 31 per cent, still down from the 34.6 per cent received when the party was re-elected 12 months ago.
Soaring support for Hanson’s One Nation has plateaued with 27 per cent primary support, down two points from a month ago.
Anthony Albanese is back in favour with voters as support grows over his handling of the fuel crisis
It remains ahead of the Coalition, which saw its primary vote rise five points to 22 per cent.
The poll coincided with the one-year anniversary of Labor being re-elected.
Labor remains ahead of the Coalition on a two-party preferred basis with a 53 per cent to 47 per cent lead.
The lead is slimmer than its 55-45 election day win.
In terms of preferences, Labor leads One Nation by 55 per cent to 45 per cent, while it leads the Coalition by 54 per cent to 46 per cent.
‘Labor is losing some vote share in recent (tracking polling) but is being held up by more positive voter assessments of the prime minister’s performance,’ Redbridge pollster Tony Barry said.
One Nation is tipped to win this weekend’s by-election in Farrer, which was vacated by former Opposition Leader Sussan Ley.
Labor will hand down its latest federal budget on May 12.
Albanese’s net approval is minus nine, eight points up from a month ago, but still trails One Nation leader Pauline Hanson (minus one)
Albanese remains hopeful of becoming the first Australian Prime Minister in more than six decades to pave his own way out of the role.
He intends to step back down when he ‘stops growing as a person’.
‘Then I’ll know it is time to watch the footy every Saturday rather than do this job,’ he recently told Channel Seven podcast The Issue.
‘This job is an incredible privilege. I’m enjoying this job, but I don’t take it for granted at all.
‘I think that is a good thing, the stability that my government has been able to provide.
‘I certainly hope to be in that position (to leave the office voluntarily).
‘But that of course is up to the Australian public.’
