Australian Election: Labour Edges Further Ahead In Opinion Polls

With just under 2 weeks to go until the Australian federal election (Sat 21 May), latest opinion polls still point to a Labour Party victory over the incumbent Liberal/National Coalition.

• The latest Newspoll (see this link) shows the Labour party ahead on a two-party preferred basis 54% to 46%. This is a 2ppt improvement compared to a week ago.
• The popular vote share to Labour has also risen to 39%, versus 35% for the Liberal/National Coalition. This is the largest margin since the election race began.
• Scott Morrison's standing as preferred leader also slipped in terms of preferred Prime Minister and current approval rating. Last week's interest rate hike has dented sentiment towards the government. Cost of living issues have been a key focus point during the election campaign.
• If these results are broadly replicated at the election on May 21, the Labour party would enter into government with a comfortable majority. Another opinion poll, the Ipsos, yielded broadly similar results.