CANBERRA, May 2 (NNN-AGENCIES) – Australia’s opposition Labour Party, remains in a leading position in the federal election, to be held this month, at the campaign’s halfway point, opinion polls revealed.
According to the latest Newspoll, which was published by The Australian newspaper today, Labour leads the governing Coalition 53-47 on a two-party preferred basis.
It marks the 18th consecutive poll where Labour leads the government and the fourth in a row with a 6-point margin.
If that swing is applied on a uniform basis across the country, it could result in Labour winning 79 out of 151 seats, in the lower house of parliament – the House of Representatives – and forming government for the first time since 2013.
Thirty-eight percent of Newspoll respondents said, they intend to vote Labour as their first preference at the election, on May 21, up from 37 percent in late Apr, while support for the Coalition remained steady at 36 percent.
By comparison, the Coalition received 41.4 percent of first preference votes in the 2019 election, in which it won 77 House of Representatives seats, and Labour 33.3 percent.
Labour leader, Anthony Albanese, also narrowed the gap on Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, as voters’ preferred leader, with 39 percent choosing him, compared to 45 percent for the incumbent prime minister.
In Feb, 2021, Morrison led the measure by 61-26.
A separate poll, published by Nine Entertainment newspapers, showed Labour is leading 54-46 on a two-party preferred basis.
Morrison started the second half of the campaign today by announcing a re-elected Coalition would spend 70 million Australian dollars (49.4 million U.S. dollars) over four years, to ease cost of living pressures for seniors.
Under the scheme, an additional 50,000 older Australians would be given access to the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card (CSHC), entitling them to cheaper health care and medication.– NNN-AGENCIES
