The latest Fairfax-Ipsos poll suggests that Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is the most popular new prime minister of the past two decades with new approval ratings higher than those of John Howard, Kevin Rudd, Julia Gilliard and Tony Abbott.
The poll has Malcolm Turnbull with 67 per cent of the preferred Prime Minister vote with Bill Shorten on 21 per cent and uncommitted at 12 per cent. According to the poll, the Coalition has, for the first time since March 2014, regained the lead in the two-party preferred vote with a 53-47 lead.
Approval ratings also bode well for Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull in comparison to his opponent, with 68 per cent of voters approving of the way he is handling his job and just 17 per cent disapproving giving him a net score of 51 per cent. Mr Shorten has scored a net rating of minus 24 per cent with just 32 per cent of voters approving of his job as Opposition Leader and 56 per cent disapproving.
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Opinion: Stability a welcome change
While it’s just been a touch over a month since Malcolm Turnbull became Prime Minister, you can already feel a sense of stability that just wasn’t there under the previous leadership.
Voters were asked to rate Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten on aspects like competency, strength as a leader, trustworthiness, and grasp of economic policy. Of the 10 positive attributes, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull held a significant lead.
Gone is the daily circus we came to expect under the previous leadership. We are left with a prime minister and government that we feel we can trust to lead our country in the right direction.
Prime Minister Turnbull’s honeymoon period will be over after Christmas and his most important challenge heading into the next election will be to deliver a budget that puts Australia on the right path as well as appealing to the voting public.
How do you rate Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s first month in the top job? What are the implications of this poll result for the opposition and its leader, Bill Shorten?
