Scott Morrison is closing the gap on Anthony Albanese’s campaign lead and the latest poll shows the Prime Minister has gained significant ground in recent days.
Albanese’s lead has been reduced by 5 points in Thursday’s IPSOS poll in the 12 days since the last poll, putting Saturday’s federal election as “too close to call”.
The Liberals have based much of their campaign on appearing stronger on national security and better at managing the economy, and it appears to have struck a chord with voters.
As Morrison talked up the country’s record low unemployment rate of 3.9 per cent on Thursday, Labor revealed its costs just two days before voting day.
Labor’s Anthony Albanese (pictured with partner Jodie Haydon on Wednesday) could be starting to sweat with multiple polls showing Scott Morrison closing in on his lead in the early election campaign.
Figures show an Albanian government would spend $7.4 billion more than the Coalition with big investments in Medicare, cheaper childcare and free TAFE.
Thursday’s poll of just 2,000 voters, conducted for the Australian Financial Review, shows that in the primary vote 34 per cent would go to Labor, compared to 35 per cent in the May 8 poll.
The Coalition would get 33 per cent, a jump from 29 per cent on May 8, while the Greens are holding steady at 12 per cent.
Undecided voters fell from 7 per cent to 5 per cent, showing that those who didn’t know who they were going to vote for appear to have shifted towards Morrison’s camp over the course of the campaign.
Morrison (pictured in Launceston with his wife Jenny on Thursday) has been advocating for the Coalition to be stronger on national security and better at managing the economy.
Of the preferred vote of the two parties, 49 per cent would go to the Labor Party, compared to 50 per cent, and the Coalition has experienced a jump of 5 per cent, from 35 to 40 per cent.
The remaining 11 per cent of voters were undecided, but if these votes were allocated using preferences from the 2019 election, Labor was on 53 per cent and the LNP on 47.
With a margin of error of 2.3 percent in the poll, the election appears too close to call.
While the Coalition has focused on economic and national security concerns, it could take a significant hit at the polls from independents who focus on climate policy.
The so-called ‘teal independents’, a greener shade of the Liberal Party’s traditional blue, are contesting 22 seats and appear to be making significant progress.
The candidates’ mission is to lure moderate voters concerned about government inaction on climate change away from Liberal candidates in seats long considered conservative strongholds.
They are branded by the Coalition right as “fake” independents because they are part-funded by Climate 200, a campaign fund founded by wealthy former Liberal Party donor Simon Holmes à Court.
Critics argue that Climate 200 is akin to a political party. But the teal candidates insist their funding comes with no strings attached, leaving them truly independent.
If teal independents achieve the balance of power in a hung parliament, they could potentially pressure a minority government led by the center-left Liberal Party or Labor Party to adopt greener policies than they would prefer.
Zali Steggall is running for Warringah (pictured) and is one of several well-funded and organized ‘teal independents’ focused on concrete climate action.
The government aims to reduce Australia’s emissions by 26% to 28% below 2005 levels by 2030. Labor has promised a 43% reduction.
Scott Morrison warned Australia would be hurt if teal independents seize the balance of power.
‘A parliament driven by the daily reflections of independents who have not had the experience to confront the serious economic and security challenges facing our country, that will hurt people’s incomes, that will hurt people’s jobs. “It’s going to damage Australian security,” he said.
Wentworth independent candidate Allegra Spender (pictured second from left) holds a public forum on Monday.