4 hours ago
5
“This is more a renewing of the vows with a comfortable partner than the honeymoon we saw post-2022,” he said.
While the Coalition’s primary vote has slipped, the poll suggests that voters are open to giving Ley a chance.
At a net positive 11, Ley has the highest likeability rating of any MP or party. Albanese’s net likeability is positive 4 after slumping to minus 16 in February.
In terms of net performance, Ley is at minus 6 – a huge advance on the minus 24 that Peter Dutton registered in the final Resolve poll ahead of the election.
Thirty-eight per cent of respondents rated Ley’s performance so far as either good or very good while 29 per cent rated it as poor or very poor. A third of those surveyed were undecided.
One of those surveyed noted of Ley that she “seems kind, I think her heart is in the right place” while another said that she was “not as polarising as Peter Dutton”.
But others pointed to the difficulty awaiting Ley to hold together the Coalition. “I think she’s probably too far left for most of her party – we’ll see if she lasts,” one respondent said.
Forty-five per cent of respondents rated Albanese’s performance as either good or very good while 42 per cent rated it as poor or very poor.
His net performance rating of plus eight is the highest in the past year. It had fallen to minus 26 in December last year.
There continue to be critics of Albanese’s overall performance among voters, some voters arguing he is “weak and wishy-washy”.
But others said the nation was “slowly making progress under his leadership”, and that while he was “not exceptional, he has a good team under him”.
Albanese holds a 15-point lead over Ley as preferred prime minister, a point down on his lead over Dutton in the last pre-election Resolve poll. Albanese’s overall support as preferred prime minister has slipped seven points since April, to 40 per cent, while Ley is down six points on Dutton at 25 per cent.
Labor has a 10-point lead over the Coalition on who is best for the nation. It has an 18-point lead on which party has a united team, a 16-point lead on which party is communicating well and a 14-point lead on offering strong leadership.
Labor’s improved recent performance is being supported by voters’ outlook on the economy and their personal finances.
The Resolve measure of personal and household outlook has reached its highest level since the 2022 election.
Reed said this was due to the improved economic situation that many Australians are noticing.
“People have seen rate cuts, some price stabilisation, a positive budget, a clear election win and few state elections on the horizon – all leading to the idea that things are more stable and perhaps we’re turning a corner,” he said.
That is also being reflected in voters’ attitudes to the government’s handling of key issues.
As recently as February, voters believed the Coalition was doing better than the government on everything from the economy to crime and anti-social behaviour. Of 18 issues tracked by the Resolve Political Monitor, the government was rated more positively than the Coalition on just two – issues affecting Indigenous Australians and welfare.
In the post-election poll, the government is rated the better performer on every issue. It is two points stronger on the economy, three points on national security and 17 points in front on welfare.
One of Ley’s first tests as to lift female representation within the Liberal Party. She has said she is open to quotas while stressing this is up to the party’s state divisions.
Thirty-two per cent of those surveyed backed quotas – almost the same as the third opposed. A large proportion, 36 per cent, were unsure.
But in a sign of the potential political trouble facing Ley, just 27 per cent of Coalition supporters backed the use of quotas compared to 44 per cent who were opposed.
Thirty per cent of women backed quotas compared to 27 per cent who were opposed. Among men, 34 per cent supported them but 39 per cent were against.
Cut through the noise of federal politics with news, views and expert analysis. Subscribers can sign up to our weekly Inside Politics newsletter.
