With four days to go until the Australian federal election and a dramatic shift in voter sentiment, the Liberals have gained ground with the race already on the line.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Anthony Albanese are now neck and neck according to the latest Resolve poll as Australians prepare to go to the polls on Saturday.
Voters have eased their support for Labor in the past two weeks, with the party’s primary vote falling from 34 per cent to 31 per cent, apparently erasing the rise in Anthony Albanese’s appeal earlier in the campaign.
While the poll shows Morrison’s focus on economic policy and a concerted effort to present his government as stronger on national security is paying off, with the Liberals moving from 33 to 34 per cent.
Scott Morrison had something to smile about on Tuesday (pictured) with the latest election poll showing his Coalition gaining ground against the Labor Party with four days to go before Election Day.
The poll, conducted for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, shows that when preference votes are taken into account, the Coalition gets 49 per cent of the total vote and the ALP 51 per cent.
Interestingly, 34 per cent of all voters avoided the number one vote for the major parties, preferring to go with minor parties, most notably the Greens at 14 per cent.
One Nation saw a small rise from 5 to 6 per cent, while the United Australia Party fell from 5 to 4 per cent.
“As we get closer to Election Day, voters naturally set their choice and in many cases have already voted,” said Resolve Director Jim Reed.
Once preferred votes are taken into account, the poll shows that Antony Albanese (pictured) and the Labor Party are still slightly ahead, but the race is very close.
“It appears that the large group of uncommitted voters who once sent a message of protest, or voted for a change, or parked their vote, have begun to return to known numbers.”
The poll surveyed 2,049 voters from last Thursday through Tuesday, a period that included official campaign rallies for both parties.
This included an admission by Mr Morrison that he can be “a bit of a bulldozer” when considering the opinions of others and that he would change if he were re-elected.
This, in turn, led Mr Albanese to respond that “even Scott Morrison is distancing himself from Scott Morrison”.
The Coalition also unveiled a proposal on the eve of the election to allow Australians to withdraw a portion of their super towards a deposit on their first home.
This has sparked intense debate, with Labour, the pensions industry and some housing campaigners claiming it would drive up house prices.
On Sunday, Morrison announced that first home buyers would be able to access 40 per cent of their superannuation up to $50,000 to buy a home.
Additionally, a re-elected coalition would expand a plan to encourage older Australians to downsize and free up housing supply.
Mr Morrison said the scheme was a way to help people deal with increasing cost of living pressures and get them able to live in their own homes.
“You let them use their own money,” he said.
“You don’t hide it from them when someone else has control of it… it’s theirs.”
Albanese said the prime minister’s proposal showed he only wanted to cut people’s surplus rather than address housing affordability.
Pre-voting is now underway with early voting centers in operation (pictured: AEC’s Sydney CBD early voting centre)
“If you take money away from people, then there will be bigger government deficits and bills in the future,” he told reporters in Perth on Monday.
Labour’s housing alternative involves a “help to buy” scheme in which 10,000 people on low incomes would be eligible for a capital contribution from the government to help them enter the housing market.
The Australian Institute of Superannuation Trustees said the coalition’s plan would drive up house prices and undermine the core purpose of the super system.
“Using Super as a deposit will drive up property prices, leaving Australians with greater debt and depleted retirement savings,” said institute chief executive Eva Scheerlinck.
“Superannuation… is not a piggy bank that the government can open at its convenience to avoid having to deal with the real systemic problems that first-home buyers face.”
Staff members help arriving voters cast their ballot ahead of the national election at an AEC early voting centre, in Sydney, on May 17 (pictured).