Australia's opposition Coalition has fallen to its lowest level of primary support on record, according to a Newspoll published Sunday, with gains concentrated among minor parties and independents.
The poll, conducted for The Australian between Monday and Thursday last week from a sample of 1,264 voters, put the Coalition's primary vote at 27 percent — an all-time low since Newspoll began counting primary votes in November 1985. Labor's primary vote was steady at 36 percent, while the two-party-preferred result gave Labor 58 percent to the Coalition's 42 percent.
The shortfall in Coalition primary support has been absorbed largely by minor parties and independents, with Pauline Hanson's One Nation rising to 10 percent from 6.4 percent at the May federal election. The Greens recorded 13 percent and other minor parties and independents combined reached 14 percent.
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley's personal ratings also deteriorated in the survey. Her net approval rating plunged to minus 17, with 32 percent of respondents satisfied with her performance. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's net approval fell back into negative territory at minus five, down from plus three in the previous poll. Voters still preferred Albanese as better prime minister by 51 percent to Ley's 31 percent.
The figures underscore ongoing strains within the Coalition almost four months after its high-profile split and subsequent reunion. The party has remained divided over policy issues including migration, climate change and net-zero commitments, and the poll comes on the heels of an internal dispute involving Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price.
Senator Price was removed from the outer ministry on Wednesday after she declined to publicly pledge support for Ley and after comments earlier this month alleging Labor was bringing Indian migrants to Australia to boost its electoral base. Price later walked back the claims but refused to apologise. The move prompted a minor frontbench reshuffle in which Ley promoted three conservatives — Finance spokesman James Paterson, Tasmanian Senator Claire Chandler and Cook MP Simon Kennedy — and restored the defence industry portfolio to Western Australian moderate Melissa Price, who previously held the role from 2019 to 2022.
Newspoll's results also mark a further decline in the Coalition's performance compared with the party's standing under former leader Peter Dutton. The Coalition's current primary vote is 4.8 percentage points lower than at the election when Dutton led the party.
Analysts noted the timing of the poll amid the internal controversy, saying the dispute over Senator Price and the subsequent reshuffle are likely contributors to the Coalition's weak showing. The Newspoll was conducted after the reshuffle events, capturing voter reaction to both the leadership and the party's public divisions.
The poll's publication amplifies questions within the Coalition about its electoral prospects and the durability of Ley's leadership as the opposition seeks to rebuild support ahead of the next federal contest.