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Changing fortunes ... Opposition Leader Bill Shorten and Prime Minister Tony Abbott. Source: Supplied
THE Abbott government has experienced a strong bump in the polls following its Federal budget.
The latest Newspoll, carried out exclusively for The Australian, shows the Coaltion has lifted its primary vote by one point to 40 per cent, and Tony Abbott has overtaken Labor leader Bill Shorten as preferred Prime Minister for the first time this year.
The poll showed the ALP solidly out in front in two-party-preferred terms however, leading 53 per cent to 47 per cent for the Coaltion.
A markedly different picture emerged from a new Fairfax-Ipsos poll, which found support for the Coalition and Labor at 50 per cent each, a marked increase for the government since April’s 46-54 result.
In the first time since April last year, Tony Abbott has shot into the lead, ahead of Labor’s Bill Shorten, as the preferred prime minister, at 44-39.
Mr Abbott’s approval rating — sitting at minus eight — has climbed by eight percentage points while Mr Shorten’s has sunk to minus four, according to Fairfax Media.
The ALP’s primary support was down three points since April to 35 per cent, while Greens support has increased fractionally to 13 per cent.
The Fairfax-Ipsos poll canvassed 1403 voters between Thursday and Saturday.
The results mirror a Galaxy poll, published on Saturday, which revealed the coalition had jumped 10 points to trail Labor by only two points on a two-party preferred basis.
The Newspoll results had the Greens staying static at 12 per cent after its recent change of leaders.
Federal Trade Minister Andrew Robb ... no early election. Picture: Brendan Radke Source: News Corp Australia
Despite the encouraging poll results, Cabinet minister Andrew Robb is not about to advise the prime minister any time soon to call an early election.
Mr Robb, a former federal director of the Liberal party, said Tony Abbott has “no instinct†to call an election before his term is up next year despite a boost in two post-budget polls.
Mr Robb told ABC radio on Monday the government will use “every minute of every day we’ve got†to keep doing good things.