In this file photo taken on Sept 10, 2021,
people wearing face masks walk in front of the Opera House in Sydney. (SAEED KHAN / AFP)
CANBERRA – Voter support for the Australian government has fallen to a new low, a poll has found.
According to a survey published by Australian National University on Tuesday, the number of Australians who said they intend to vote for the governing coalition in the general election fell to 32 percent in January.
It is the lowest figure recorded by the ANUPoll series since it began in January 2020 during the Black Summer bushfire crisis. By comparison, 37 percent of voters said they would vote for the Labor
It is the lowest figure recorded by the ANUPoll series since it began in January 2020 during the Black Summer bushfire crisis.
By comparison, 37 percent of voters said they would vote for the Labor.
The coalition received 41.4 percent of primary votes in the 2019 election and the Labor 33.3 percent.
Nicholas Biddle, lead author of the report, said the period between the Black Summer fires and January 2022 would be remembered as one of the most tumultuous in Australian history.
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"Of course, there have been other times of massive political upheaval, but the Black Summer bushfires and the COVID-19 pandemic created a unique set of circumstances that potentially changed the views of Australians regarding the effectiveness of the current government, and the role of government generally in Australia," he said in a media release.
"Our study shows quite substantial swings in voting intentions, with the Federal Government having a relatively low-level of support — just 35.4 percent — in January 2020, before an increase to 40.3 percent in January 2021, and a dramatic drop between January 2021 and 2022.
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A separate poll published by research company Roy Morgan on Tuesday found that the Labor leads the coalition 58-42 on a two-party preferred basis.
Thirty-seven percent of Roy Morgan poll participants said they intend to vote for the Labor and 31 percent for the coalition.