Newspoll: 52-48 to Labor (open thread)

An anti-climactic return for Newspoll, despite the seemingly game-changing event of the tax cuts backflip.

The Australian reports the first Newspoll of the year shows no change to the status quo after the tax cuts backflip or anything else to have happened over the holiday period, with Labor retaining its 52-48 two-party lead from the mid-December poll. Only minor changes are recorded on the primary vote, with Labor up a point to 34%, the Coalition steady on 36%, the Greens down one to 12% and One Nation steady on 7%.

Questions on the tax cuts found 62% believed the government had done the right thing, but oddly only 38% felt they would be better off. Preferred prime minister is likewise unchanged at 46-35 in favour of Anthony Albanese, while at this stage we only have net results on the two leaders’ ratings: Albanese down a point to minus nine, Peter Dutton down four to minus 13. A number of gaps here should be filled when The Australian publishes full results tables.

The poll was conducted Wednesday to Saturday from a sample of 1245.

UPDATE: Albanese is steady on 42% approval and up one on disapproval to 51%, while Dutton is down two to 37% and up two to 50%. The 38% better off figure turns out to contrast with only 18% for worse off, with 37% opting for about the same and 7% uncommitted. The 62% support rating compared with 29% opposed and 9% uncommitted. Both questions emphasised that the changes would be to the advantage of lower and middle income earners.

Author: William Bowe

William Bowe is a Perth-based election analyst and occasional teacher of political science. His blog, The Poll Bludger, has existed in one form or another since 2004, and is one of the most heavily trafficked websites on Australian politics.

2,140 comments on “Newspoll: 52-48 to Labor (open thread)”

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  1. Kevin Bonham says:
    Wednesday, February 7, 2024 at 10:22 pm

    ————————————-
    KB, many thanks. Will keep a watch out on Tassie politics, very interesting

  2. I don’t read it but there are reportedly several stories in the Murdoch press today about cutting the Hunter Frigate program (from 9) to 3 ships.
    https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/alarm-bells-are-ringing-about-adelaides-45bn-hunter-class-frigate-project/news-story/39f80c599e67529e3c538f4b66d77e7a

    and that WA shipbuilding might be the beneficiary.
    https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/business/sa-business/ukbased-defence-firm-babcock-pitches-arrowhead-frigates-build-to-keep-aussie-ship-project-alive/news-story/3329e210bbeac2bae841bfe375eb5ac4

    “Defence company Babcock will pitch its Arrowhead frigate platform into an expected restructure of Australia’s naval shipbuilding program, promising to fill both a capability gap and keep the nation’s hopes for a continuous shipbuilding program alive.

    Fears have been mounting this week that the $45bn Hunter Class frigate program will be vastly scaled back, from the promised nine ships to potentially as few as three.

    This would place the prospect of a continuous shipbuilding program, continuing on from Hunter to the AUKUS nuclear submarine program which will start beyond 2030, into jeopardy, unless an interim build program is selected by the government.

    Federal Defence Minister Richard Marles is expected in coming weeks to make public the government’s response to the surface fleet review, which he received in September.”

    If it was up to me, Marles should have cut the Hunter program from 9 ships to zero, not 3, after 18 days in office, not 18 months. it was the wrong ship. But with no local alternative there will be a big backlash in SA against the Federal government. Looks like the plan is to transfer yet more funding $ from Adelaide to Perth.

    Suggestions that a switch from 9 Hunters and 12 SSKs to 3 Hunters followed by 3? 5? 8? AUKUS SSNs represents a “Continuous shipbuilding program” indicates a deep misunderstanding of the meaning of the words “Continuous” and “ship”.

    In the now dead LNP 2016 shipbuilding plan both the Attack Class submarine and Hunter frigates were supposed to be being built in Adelaide simultaneously. Billions were spent in shipyard upgrades to enable it. Now the truth will soon be out and as I have said for 2 years, Adelaide is being duded of in excess of 3000 jobs.

    Port Adelaide MP Mark Butler has taken a vow of silence on AUKUS. SA premier Peter Malinauskaus will need to work out how to explain why -2000 jobs is a “jobs bonanza”. Good luck Pete.

  3. It will be interesting in Tassie at the next state election if the Jacquie Lambie Network run in all electorates. A “cat amongst the pigeons” influencing the next parliament.

  4. “Can you imagine Labor trying to prosecute this type of tax without being booted out of office?”

    Nature abhors a vacuum and if there is nothing on the tax front before the next election this is exactly what the LNP will say Labor is going to do and worse, their dishonest secret tax plan, like last time. The LNP campaign writes itself.

    Labor needs to fill that vacuum with tax reform something people will believe they believe in (I know they believe in nothing so they are going to need to be good) and that is popular, or they will suffer greatly from the inevitable scare campaign, based on the lie last election.

  5. WeWantPaulsays:
    Thursday, February 8, 2024 at 2:41 pm

    Labor needs to fill that vacuum with tax reform something people will believe they believe in (I know they believe in nothing so they are going to need to be good)
    =======================================================

    Did someones windfall of $9000 end up being only $4500 and the remainder given to the less fortunate. I know you are still in mourning but you just need to let go of it.

  6. Court-ordered company liquidations are soaring as the Australia Taxation Office and big four banks crack down on unpaid debts, and insolvency experts expect the trend to continue over the course of the year in a direct warning to cash-strapped businesses. The latest figures released by Insolvency Australia reveal 1076 companies – or close to a quarter of all external administrator and controller appointments – were wound up by a court order in the six months to December, up 133 per cent from the 462 court-led appointments in the previous corresponding period.
    Creditors’ voluntary liquidations remain the most common form of insolvency, with 2308 cases reported in the six-month period, up 4 per cent, while voluntary administrations and controller appointments were also higher, rising 14 per cent and 34 per cent respectively, to 731 and 416 appointments. Overall, Insolvency Australia’s Corporate Insolvency Index shows administrator and controller appointments rose by 24 per cent in the six months to December to 4531. Insolvency Australia director Gareth Gammon said the increasing rate of insolvencies was likely to continue in the coming months as the ATO looked to rein its $50bn-plus debt book.
    https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/insolvency-australia-figures-show-courtordered-liquidations-spike/news-story/931b5ed110d8068793220d6e4aedd4c4?amp

  7. ‘Rebecca says:
    Thursday, February 8, 2024 at 1:09 pm

    Rikali: It is both possible to think that extreme homophobia is bad and to also think that even people who are extremely homophobic should not be genocided because of their ethnicity (note for people who didn’t know who the Houthi were until they started attacking international shipping, this refers to the Saudi-led genocide of the Houthi over the last decade).’
    ——————————————–
    On the topic of genocide, you would be well aware that the Houthis have repeatedly stated that they wish to drive the jews out of Israel. Their fellow travelers – Heshbollah, various Iranian-supported Jihadi Groups, Hamas and Iran itself, ditto. Vision statement: genocide.

    Meanwhile, a large proportion of the civilian population in Houthistan is near starvation. This goes to various drivers including, critically, appalling mismanagement of scarce irrigation water for the production of khat (for cash) by the Houthis.

    As pointed out yesterday if your vision statement is genocide, anything less including mass execution of gays, just has to be acceptable.

  8. “Did someones windfall of $9000 end up being only $4500 and the remainder given to the less fortunate. I know you are still in mourning but you just need to let go of it.”

    That is a good approach for you given your capabilities, stick to schoolyard level abuse and leave the complex discussion to the grown ups.

  9. The news: Both China’s consumer and producer prices fell in January, as the world’s second-largest economy continues to struggle with persistent deflation pressures, Bloomberg has reported.
    The numbers: The consumer price index dropped 0.8% during the month, compared to a year ago, worse than economist expectations of 0.5%. The producer price index fell 2.5%, a slightly improved figure from the 2.6% decline projection.
    Factory-gate costs have been stuck in deflation for 16 consecutive months and consumer prices are dropping at the fastest pace since 2009. Deflation pressure is expected for another six months.
    The context: The country has been struggling to revive domestic demand and consumer confidence. Continued deflation risks people holding off on purchases as they expect prices to drop and this leads to a dent in overall consumption and spills over to businesses.
    Bloomberg noted the property crisis remained the biggest drag on the economy and confidence. The Chinese stock market is also in the midst of a multi-trillion dollar rout and while equities have rallied, recently, investors are waiting for more policy support from Beijing.

  10. Dutton has given up the argument about the stage 3 tax cuts without a whimper , strange for a federal opposition leader to give up so quickly

    Labor won this week question time by 3 taxcuts

  11. I see that the Greens and the Coalition grubs are joined at the hip with trying to weaponize sectarian hatred.
    They are playing with social fire for filthy political gain.

  12. ‘Holdenhillbilly says:
    Thursday, February 8, 2024 at 2:58 pm

    The news: Both China’s consumer and producer prices fell in January, as the world’s second-largest economy continues to struggle with persistent deflation pressures, Bloomberg has reported.
    The numbers: The consumer price index dropped 0.8% during the month, compared to a year ago, worse than economist expectations of 0.5%. The producer price index fell 2.5%, a slightly improved figure from the 2.6% decline projection.
    Factory-gate costs have been stuck in deflation for 16 consecutive months and consumer prices are dropping at the fastest pace since 2009. Deflation pressure is expected for another six months.
    The context: The country has been struggling to revive domestic demand and consumer confidence. Continued deflation risks people holding off on purchases as they expect prices to drop and this leads to a dent in overall consumption and spills over to businesses.
    Bloomberg noted the property crisis remained the biggest drag on the economy and confidence. The Chinese stock market is also in the midst of a multi-trillion dollar rout and while equities have rallied, recently, investors are waiting for more policy support from Beijing.’
    ——————————-
    Thanks, Hh. IMO this should be being reported as something more than a ‘property’ crisis.

    It is a national bad debt crisis.
    This crisis lock together a national property ponzi scheme, a monstrous pile of grey banking bad debt, and local government debt which, in turn is coupled with the local government inability to raise revenue.

  13. Irene @ #1819 Thursday, February 8th, 2024 – 10:45 am

    C@tmomma says:
    Thursday, February 8, 2024 at 10:32 am
    The NDIS is rorted by providers. The model Labor likes, as they may donate to Labor as a ‘thank you.’

    Absolute crap. The evidence, those inconvenient things called ‘facts’, being that Bill Shorten ordered a review into the NDIS, conducted by Dr Ian Watt, to identify overservicing and inflated charges

    ————

    The usual blinkered view from C@t when it comes to a policy from her beloved Labor Party.

    Even Shorten knows it is happening. But will he change the model? Of course not.

    https://omny.fm/shows/ben-fordham-full-show/heated-interview-ben-clashes-with-bill-shorten-over the NDIS

    Labor priority is donations from business, for their re-election campaign. How most Labor policy is driven.

    ROFLMAO quoting Ben Fordham! What next, Irene, quoting Tucker Carlson? 😆

    Amazing how you have all this oppo research at your fingertips, Irene! Advance, Irene? 😐

  14. Boerwarsays:
    Thursday, February 8, 2024 at 2:54 pm
    ‘Rebecca says:
    Thursday, February 8, 2024 at 1:09 pm

    Rikali: It is both possible to think that extreme homophobia is bad and to also think that even people who are extremely homophobic should not be genocided because of their ethnicity (note for people who didn’t know who the Houthi were until they started attacking international shipping, this refers to the Saudi-led genocide of the Houthi over the last decade).’
    ——————————————–
    On the topic of genocide, you would be well aware that the Houthis have repeatedly stated that they wish to drive the jews out of Israel.
    =========================================================

    I’ve heard the Greeks state they want to drive the Turks out of Constantinople and liberate the Hagia Sophia. Yet you are strangely silent on this issue. Which is strange as the likely hood of the Houthis and the Greeks achieving their stated aim is of similar probability. Buckley’s or none.

  15. Global temperatures through January were the warmest on record at 1.66 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, according to data released by the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S).
    The month was 0.12C above the previous warmest January in 2020 and extends the run of record warm months to eight, following similar unprecedented temperatures from June to December last year.
    The greatest anomalies last month were seen across eastern Canada and south-west Asia where temperatures were nearly 5C above the 1991-2020 average.
    Australia’s mean was 1.54C above the 1961-1990 baseline average, making it the country’s third warmest January on record, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.
    The run of abnormal heat has now lifted the 12-month global average temperature above the 1.5C Paris Agreement for the first time.
    With the target now temporarily breached, a permanent rise above 1.5C is now projected to arrive in less than 10 years.
    https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-02-08/nsw-january-hottest-global-temperature-record/103442160

  16. WeWantPaulsays:
    Thursday, February 8, 2024 at 2:56 pm
    “Did someones windfall of $9000 end up being only $4500 and the remainder given to the less fortunate. I know you are still in mourning but you just need to let go of it.”

    That is a good approach for you given your capabilities, stick to schoolyard level abuse and leave the complex discussion to the grown ups.
    ========================================================

    As long as we don’t leave tax reform to the corporate lawyers. As i suspect a corporate lawyers idea of tax reform. Would be a smaller slice of the overall tax pie being paid by those on a corporate lawyer type salary. Hence a bigger burden on those less well off.

  17. ‘The treatment by police of a 13-year-old autistic boy is shocking – but it fits an appalling pattern’
    George Newhouse and Duncan Fine
    Source: the guardian.com

    ‘Our marginalised youth, those living with disability and First Nations people are policed in a way the majority of us would not recognise, nor tolerate.’

    —————————————————————————-
    People here have put shit on me for recounting personal stories, so I’ll try to be succinct.

    I’m now old and invisible to cops, but I remember.

    I remember waiting outside for St Vinnies to open in Mt Isa, hoping for a feed, when the cops turned up. I spent twelve hours in a cell while they ran checks on me in every state. Periodically, this big bastard would visit me to tell me he knew I was lying and that I was wanted somewhere and that when he found out he was personally going to beat the shit out of me. I didn’t get an apology, I was told to get out of town.

    I remember hitching into town on New Years Eve with a mate, when the cops turned up. He had an outstanding $20 fine for cannabis possession. They stuck me in a cell overnight and denied me a phone call because they wanted to bust his share house and they didn’t want me warning them. When I demanded a phone call, they moved me from a barred cell to one with a solid steel door. When I banged on that door, a big bastard came in and threatened to bash me with a phone book. They let me out in the morning and told me to fuck off.

    I remember when my twelve year old son qualified for a clever minds competition. It was held at a private school in a nice neighbourhood. We were waiting outside when the cops turned up. I had long hair, was wearing a checked flannel t shirt, and was rolling a cigarette. My wife and I were interrogated in front of my son as to what we were doing there. One of those nice private school parents had called the cops.

    My experiences were negligible compared to indigenous youth being harassed. My experiences were negligible compared to parents calling the police for help when their mentally ill child is out of control, only to have the cops turn up and kill them.

    But my experiences decades ago were enough to make me hate cops. And I still do. Because nothing has changed.

  18. Scottsays:
    Thursday, February 8, 2024 at 3:34 pm
    Sussan Ley puts a farcical member be no longer heard motion , in question time

    ============================================================

    I suggest a rule change to parliamentary procedure. Anyone who initiates a member “no longer be heard” motion that fails. Is no longer themselves to be heard for the rest of that day.

  19. Entropy,

    Ley could see that Burke was going to give the Libs another bollocking via his answer. So, she was trying to head off another comedy routine with the Opposition as the punch line.

  20. Greensborough Growlersays:
    Thursday, February 8, 2024 at 3:48 pm
    Entropy,

    Ley could see that Burke was going to give the Libs another bollocking via his answer. So, she was trying to head off another comedy routine with the Opposition as the punch line.
    ================================================

    So that’s why she was trying to wind it up. Here is me thinking she was in a hurry to catch a flight to the Gold Coast to attend a property investment seminar.

  21. Looks like no Tas election call today as Tucker, Alexander and Rockliff have all said the meeting is still on (1:30 tomorrow).

    GG: don’t think so. Tasmanian governors can do weird things though.

  22. ‘Entropy says:
    Thursday, February 8, 2024 at 3:08 pm

    Boerwarsays:
    Thursday, February 8, 2024 at 2:54 pm
    ‘Rebecca says:
    Thursday, February 8, 2024 at 1:09 pm

    Rikali: It is both possible to think that extreme homophobia is bad and to also think that even people who are extremely homophobic should not be genocided because of their ethnicity (note for people who didn’t know who the Houthi were until they started attacking international shipping, this refers to the Saudi-led genocide of the Houthi over the last decade).’
    ——————————————–
    On the topic of genocide, you would be well aware that the Houthis have repeatedly stated that they wish to drive the jews out of Israel.
    =========================================================

    I’ve heard the Greeks state they want to drive the Turks out of Constantinople and liberate the Hagia Sophia. Yet you are strangely silent on this issue. Which is strange as the likely hood of the Houthis and the Greeks achieving their stated aim is of similar probability. Buckley’s or none.’
    ======================
    Do you mean the Greek Government when you refer to ‘the Greeks’? And what is your source?

  23. Entropy,

    Putting that motion when she did meant ABC24 switched to normal programming because QT went beyond 3:30 pm. Thus denying Burke and the Government a larger audience for their little show.

  24. There’s an old maxim in politics: voters will support any tax cuts that land in their pockets, but at any forthcoming election they will vote for the Party which is promising more tax cuts.
    Labor will hold Dunkley, probably with an increase on its six percent margin, largely due to a feeling of anguish for its brave former member.
    At the next election if Dutton does something about bracket creep and offers voters bigger cuts than Albo will no doubt offer, he will be rewarded with new votes.
    It will probably not be enough for a Dutton win. But no one knows.

  25. Ley’s attempt at gag shows what a rabble the LNP are.
    They do not have the numbers for a gag and all she did was delay the inevitable from Burke.
    Best thing is sit there, cop it and get out.
    All she did was keep everybody there for best part of another 10 minutes. I’m not sure even her backbench would think that a good idea.
    And as for asking questions about the new vehicle emissions standards when Labor has a folder full of quotes from way back when the same policy was put forward ….by the liberals. It’s kindergarten stuff.

  26. Boerwarsays:
    Thursday, February 8, 2024 at 4:12 pm
    ======================
    Do you mean the Greek Government when you refer to ‘the Greeks’? And what is your source?
    =========================================================

    Just many Greek people i’ve heard say it. Though the Houthi’s you refer to are you claiming they are Government that you recognise?. I thought they were just a terrorist organisation?. So no difference in status to any other group of people with no official status.

    https://www.facebook.com/4constantinople/

  27. It’s in the news that Anthony Albanese derives 115k of income through rental of investment properties (which is still a small proportion of his total taxable income) and is being lambasted for this. This is despite common knowledge that Dutton has a massive property portfolio and of course he can get away with it with impunity.

    The new IR reforms may only last a year or so.

  28. Whatever tax cuts Dutton offer for the next election is likely to be heavily favoured to very high income earners (mostly top decile at least), while the bulk of the middle- and working-class get next to nothing. This will be funded by cuts to public spending and/or an increase in the GST – a further jacking up of the cost of living.

    Labor can seize on this by stating the facts and bellowing out to the electorate that any such moves would be grossly regressive and unfair. But judging by their track record they probably won’t. Never underestimate Labor’s ability to shoot themselves in the foot and snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. It is all the sadder for the nation, which is likely to get the most right-wing government in its entire history since Federation.

  29. @MelbourneMammoth

    Well, even if the Coalition wins the 2025 election, they still need 39 votes in the Senate to repeal them. And given that it’s the class of 2019 that are up for the vote (other than the territories), they’d need to win in a landslide to get that.

  30. Given the uncertainty surrounding the viability of Trump’s candidacy in the 2024 POTUS election, this might be worth throwing into the mix of things to consider:

    “Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley’s argument that she’d be a stronger general election candidate than former President Donald Trump got a boost on Wednesday from a new poll in a critical swing state.

    A new Marquette Law School poll in Wisconsin showed Haley leading President Joe Biden by 15 percentage points among likely voters, 57 percent to 42 percent.

    Trump, meanwhile, was neck-and-neck with Biden, 50 percent to 49 percent, a result well within the poll’s margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points.”

    https://www.politico.com/news/2024/02/07/haley-biden-trump-wisconsin-poll-00140200

    One thing this suggests: maybe 5-10% of voters will vote for Biden’s because they are ‘anti-Trump’ rather than because they are ‘pro-Biden’.

  31. Entropy says:
    Thursday, February 8, 2024 at 4:28 pm
    Boerwarsays:
    Thursday, February 8, 2024 at 4:12 pm
    ======================
    Do you mean the Greek Government when you refer to ‘the Greeks’? And what is your source?
    =========================================================

    Just many Greek people i’ve heard say it. Though the Houthi’s you refer to are you claiming they are Government that you recognise?. I thought they were just a terrorist organisation?. So no difference in status to any other group of people with no official status.

    https://www.facebook.com/4constantinople/

    _________________________________________

    While we are doing comparisons:

    Do these “Greeks” you speak of have their own stash of missiles that they use to attack shipping and cause route diversions costing billions of dollars.

    Have they been fighting a war against their own people with the result, according to the UN, that over 150,000 people have been killed in Yemen, as well as estimates of more than 227,000 dead as a result of an ongoing famine and lack of healthcare facilities due to the war?

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yemeni_civil_war_(2014–present)#:~:text=The%20UN%20announced%20on%202,facilities%20due%20to%20the%20war.

    Are they armed to the teeth with sophisticated military equipment provided by another nation with the intent to turn the whole Middle East into an Islamic theocracy?

  32. TPOFsays:
    Thursday, February 8, 2024 at 4:55 pm
    Entropy says:
    ================================================

    Sorry TPOF i have a none engagement policy with you on anything relating to that geographic area. As you full know were any engagement would surely lead.

  33. Four bureaucrats being investigated for their role in the unlawful robodebt scheme have been handed preliminary determinations that they’ve breached the Australian public service’s code of conduct.
    The Australian public service commission delivered the update on the 16 investigations underway following royal commissioner Catherine Holmes’s report on Thursday afternoon.
    The landmark report in July last year described robodebt as a “crude and cruel” scheme and a massive failure of public administration.
    At least seven public servants, including the former Department of Human Services secretary Kathryn Campbell, were the subject of adverse findings. Campbell quit her $900,000 a year Department of Defence job weeks after the report was handed down. Thursday’s update said 15 of those being investigated had been given notice of the “grounds and categories” for their potential breach or breaches of the code of conduct.

  34. ‘Entropy says:
    Thursday, February 8, 2024 at 4:28 pm

    Boerwarsays:
    Thursday, February 8, 2024 at 4:12 pm
    ======================
    Do you mean the Greek Government when you refer to ‘the Greeks’? And what is your source?
    =========================================================

    Just many Greek people i’ve heard say it…’
    ===========================
    Oh well. That is pretty serious, then.

  35. splat59says:
    Thursday, February 8, 2024 at 5:10 pm
    Steve Davis,
    NOT the south east corner ,we want to join the rum rebellion state .
    =================================================

    You would go from having the highest number of Senators per capita to the lowest. If you did that though.

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