Liberal supporters ‘shopping’ elsewhere in dire poll
Zac de Silva |
Disaffected coalition voters are “going shopping” for other parties, rogue Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce says, with support for the opposition remaining at record lows.
The latest Newspoll shows the coalition’s primary vote has held steady at 24 per cent, but after preferences Labor has lifted its lead to 58-42 per cent, on a two-party preferred basis.
Despite doing dozens of media interviews making the case for the opposition’s plan to scrap Australia’s climate targets and prioritise lower power bills, Sussan Ley has only slightly improved her approval rating, from negative 33 to negative 29.
Mr Joyce, who is yet to finalise a months-long flirtation with anti-immigration party One Nation, said voters were frustrated with the coalition.
“Out of frustration, they’ve gone shopping. Political shopping,” he told reporters in Canberra on Monday.
Mr Joyce said he wouldn’t announce his next political move, which is widely expected to be a defection to Pauline Hanson’s party, until at least the end of the week.
“I just don’t want any circus … if I was doing anything I’d try and get out of the building (first),” he said.
While there had been speculation a poor showing in Monday’s Newspoll could prompt Ms Ley’s colleagues to depose her as leader, sources from the party’s moderate and conservative flanks said such a move was unlikely.
The survey showed Ms Ley, a moderate, was nominated by just 21 per cent of voters as their preferred leader of the coalition, including 28 per cent of coalition voters.
Ex-SAS soldier Andrew Hastie was second overall, with backing from 15 per cent of voters, and the first choice of elderly Australians and One Nation voters.
Angus Taylor (nine per cent), Tim Wilson (six per cent) and Ted O’Brien (three per cent) also received support from voters.
Nationals leader David Littleproud said he wouldn’t comment on internal Liberal politics but, when pressed, agreed Ms Ley was doing a good job, and said he thought her leadership would last until 2026.
“I don’t, as the leader of the National Party, give gratuitous advice to the Liberal Party,” he told reporters.
“If they were to give gratuitous advice to us, we’d tell them to take a running jump.”
Mr Littleproud defended the poor polling numbers, saying they would likely improve over coming months.
“Obviously, there is more to happen. You don’t win a debate in the first week,” he said.
AAP
