Labor’s primary vote dips, Coalition edges up: Newspoll

Federal Labor’s primary vote has slipped while the Coalition’s has edged up, the latest Newspoll shows.

But in the preferred prime minister contest Anthony Albanese maintains a healthy lead over Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, 48 per cent to 34 per cent.

The poll, conducted for The Australian, shows Labor’s primary vote falling a point to 32 per cent while the Coalition lifted a point to 37 per cent.

Labor’s two-party-preferred lead over the Coalition has been reduced two points to 51-49 per cent.

Labor won the last election on a two-party preferred vote of 52.1 per cent compared with the Liberal-Nationals vote of 47.9 per cent.

A total of 31 per cent of voters polled indicated they would not support Labor or the Coalition.

The combined support for Labor and the Coalition at 69 per cent confirmed the continued trend away from the major parties.

The Greens lifted a point to 13 per cent while Pauline Hanson’s One Nation also rose a point to seven per cent.

Support for other minor parties and independents, including teals, has fallen two points to 11 per cent, the Newspoll shows.

It found little change in the approval ratings for either leader in the past month.

Mr Albanese’s approval rose a point to 44 per cent while his dissatisfaction rating remained unchanged on 51 per cent for a net approval rating of minus seven.

Mr Dutton’s approval rating of 37 per cent was unchanged while his disapproval rose a point to 52 per cent, leaving him with a net rating of minus 15.

In the head-to-head contest, on which leader would make the better prime minister, the numbers also remained largely unaltered.

Mr Albanese rose a point to 48 per cent while Mr Dutton fell a point to 34 per cent with 18 per cent of voters claiming they didn’t know.

The Newspoll surveyed 1223 voters nationally between March 18 and 22.