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The latest batch of polls contains good news for Tony Abbott. Source: News Corp Australia
THE government has drawn level with Labor in a post-Budget poll — the best result for Prime Minister Tony Abbott in more than a year.
A Fairfax-Ipsos poll, taken after the Budget was handed down last Tuesday, has found support for the Coalition and Labor at 50 per cent each on a two-party preferred basis, a marked increase for the government since April’s 46-54 result.
For the first time since April of last year, Tony Abbott has shot ahead of Bill Shorten as preferred prime minister, 44-39.
Mr Abbott’s net approval rating, sitting at negative eight, has climbed by eight percentage points while Mr Shorten’s has sunk to negative four.
Labor’s primary support has fallen 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 49-51.
Today’s Newspoll, published in The Australian, shows Labor maintaining a healthy 53-47 lead over the Coalition, but echoes the resurgence the other polls have shown in Mr Abbott’s personal approval rating.
Mr Abbott is leading Mr Shorten 41-40 as preferred Prime Minister, with his satisfaction rating hitting an eight-month high of 39 per cent. His dissatisfaction rating has fallen to 52 per cent.
According to this Newspoll, 46 per cent of voters believe the Budget will be good for the economy, with 28 per cent thinking it will be bad. That’s the best result for a Budget since Wayne Swan’s first in 2008, and a dramatic improvement over last year, when 48 per cent of voters polled said the Budget would harm the economy.