Senior Liberals admit the party has a mountain to climb to win back voters after the coalition plunged to its worst-ever primary vote in Newspoll history.
The poll published on Monday shows the coalition sitting on a primary vote of 27 per cent, the lowest level since Newspoll began tracking first preferences in 1985.
Labor’s primary vote was steady at 36 per cent, giving Prime Minister Anthony Albanese a commanding 58 per cent to 42 per cent two-party-preferred lead – his biggest margin since taking office.
Opposition defence spokesman Angus Taylor said the party needed to restore trust with voters, after the poll was published in The Australian on Monday.
“We’re still a long way from the next election, but we have a lot of work to do, and there’s no doubt about that,” he told ABC Radio.
“The whole team needs to buckle down and get on with the hard work of rebuilding and putting ourselves in a position where we have policies that are in line with our core Liberal values and are competitive for the next election.”
The poll slump for the coalition followed a week of controversy triggered by Jacinta Nampijinpa Price’s comments on Indian migrants and her eventual sacking from the shadow cabinet by Opposition Leader Sussan Ley after she declined to back her when questioned by reporters.
Mr Taylor said the Liberals wanted the Northern Territory senator – who had implied in an interview with the ABC that the government was allowing in a lot of Indian migrants because they voted Labor – to stay with the party.
“We desperately need to rebuild the party at a difficult time. Jacinta is a talented member of the Senate, a valued member of our team,” he said.
Deputy Liberal leader Ted O’Brien conceded the past week had been a tough one for the opposition.
“Politics builds big egos, but I tell you, it also gives you some good lessons in humility and we’re learning those lessons now,”he told Nine’s Today program.
“But I’ve got every confidence that we’re going to be coming back and we will take a compelling proposition to the Australian people at the election and that’s the poll that matters.”
Independent senator Jacqui Lambie suggested that if the coalition’s polling doesn’t turn around, Ms Ley could face a leadership challenge by Christmas.
The Newspoll also found One Nation appeared to have reaped the rewards of voter dissatisfaction with the coalition, with its primary vote climbing to 10 per cent from 6.4 per cent at the May 3 federal election.
“They are the camouflage for the far, far right of the Liberal party,” Senator Lambie said of One Nation’s polling.
“I’m not sure the way she (Ley) is going right now, with all due respect, is that she’s going to last until Christmas time.”
The Greens lifted to their primary vote to 13 per cent, while support for independents and other minor parties rose to 14 per cent.
Ms Ley’s personal standing took a hit, with her net approval rating sliding to minus 17, with only 32 per cent of voters satisfied with her performance.
She trailed Mr Albanese 31-51 per cent as preferred prime minister.
But Mr Albanese’s approval also dipped, falling into negative territory at minus five, though he maintains a solid lead.
While Ms Ley’s colleagues have dismissed talk of a challenge, she has sought to reassert control after unveiling a reshuffled frontbench that promoted conservatives Claire Chandler and Simon Kennedy and reinstated James Paterson to her leadership group.
The Newspoll data echo the latest Resolve Political Monitor, published on Monday in Nine newspapers.
It also had the coalition’s primary vote at 27 per cent – the lowest result since that survey began in 2021.
Labor slipped two points to 35 per cent, while One Nation surged to a record 12 per cent.
On a two-party-preferred basis, Labor leads 55-45, unchanged from the May election.