Support for the Coalition has risen to the highest point in almost three years as Peter Dutton closes in on Anthony Albanese as preferred leader, according to a new poll.
The Prime Minister’s party has been criticized in recent weeks for its handling of the detained migrants scandal and any hope of a boost to electoral fortunes after the budget appears to have evaporated.
The latest Newspoll, carried out by The Australianfound that the Coalition primary vote has increased two points to 39 per cent, while support for the Labor Party has fallen to 33 per cent.
With less than a year to go until the next election, it represents the strongest primary vote for the Coalition since August 2021, when Scott Morrison was Prime Minister.
Most worrying for Albanese personally is the opposition leader’s rise in popularity among voters.
The latest Newspoll, conducted by The Australian, found the Coalition’s primary vote has risen two points to 39 per cent, while support for Labor has fallen to 33 per cent.
The Prime Minister’s lead over Dutton has narrowed from 19 points three weeks ago to just eight in the latest poll.
Those who believed Albanese would make a better prime minister fell six points to 46 per cent, while support for Dutton rose five points to 38 per cent.
This is the narrowest lead Albanese has had over his rival since the election.
It means the two leaders are now almost tied in terms of net overall approval ratings.
The survey, which interviewed 1,232 voters across Australia between June 3 and 7, also found support for the Greens fell two points to 11 per cent, its lowest level since September 2022.
It indicates that the chances of a hung parliament at the next election have increased, with Labor likely to be forced to form a minority government with the Greens or independents.
Albanese and Dutton have recently exchanged criticism over the direction of Australai’s energy policy.
The opposition leader said he would abandon Australia’s 2030 target of cutting emissions by 43 per cent from 2005 levels, should the coalition win the next federal election.
Instead, Dutton has backed the use of nuclear energy in the fight to reach net zero by 2050.
Under the Paris Agreement, members must increase their emissions targets every five years and cannot lower them.
It commits countries to taking measures to limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C and to keep it below 2°C.
Albanese said Dutton “was never serious about climate change.”
Perhaps most worrying for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese personally is the opposition leader’s rise in popularity among voters.
“It still won’t tell the Australian people where it plans to install its nuclear reactors or how much they will cost,” Albanese wrote in X.
Climate groups warn that backtracking on Australia’s targets could hamper investment as the nation transitions to a cleaner economy.
Such a move could jeopardize Australia’s membership in the Paris Agreement on climate change.
Energy Minister Chris Bowen described the coalition’s explanation of its policy as an “ongoing disaster”.
“The fact of the matter is that the Paris agreement is very clear: there can be no regression,” he said.
“If you reduce your target, then you will be violating the Paris agreement.”