The Herald's View: The latest Resolve Political Monitor shows the nation is gripped by a growing sense of pessimism, a bad sign for an incumbent federal government on the cusp of an election campaign
and the start of 2022. But because no lockdown declaration has been made, there is limited support for those who are struggling. Subdued summer spending will hit small firms still reeling from the pandemic’s disruptions and casts doubt on forecasts for a strong rebound from last year’s lockdowns.
Only a third of respondents now think the Morrison government will be returned at the next election compared with almost half in June 2021. When asked which leader and party were the best to manage the COVID-19 situation, voters have dramatically scaled back their rating of the Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, and the Coalition. The Liberal-Nationals now lead Labor on that measure by only 4 percentage points, down from 13 points in November and 25 points after the federal budget last May.
Mr Morrison’s big lead over Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese as preferred prime minister has also narrowed sharply. In August, Mr Morrison was ahead of Mr Albanese on that measure by 23 percentage points but that gap is now just 7 points . Another worry for Mr Morrison is a sharp deterioration in Resolve Strategic’s “national mood” indicator, which asks respondents if they expect the national outlook to get better or worse in the year ahead. In October, the share of voters who said the outlook was getting better easily outnumbered those who thought it was getting worse . But that has now reversed, with 38 per cent expecting the national outlook to worsen compared with only 26 per cent expecting it to improve .
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Five Great Reads: decontaminating your home, glorious loos and re-defecting to North KoreaGuardian Australia’s summer round-up of compelling reads selected by our lifestyle editor Alyx Gorman
Read more »
Pregnant COVID patient receives apology from SA Health for 'delays and discomfort'An expectant young mother diagnosed with COVID-19 expresses frustration at the standard of care, and the supply of meals, before and after her arrival at an Adelaide medi-hotel.
Read more »
Election race tightens after Morrison takes a summer batteringThe nation goes into the third year of the pandemic with polling showing a clear line in the government’s fortunes as the election approaches.
Read more »
‘Disrespectful’: Brittany Higgins criticises ditched two-week consultation for women’s safety planAustralian government defends handling of women’s safety plan after opening up consultation for a fortnight in summer
Read more »
Want to quit the quiz? Tired of trivia? Time to return to workIt’s not just sunburn that can be the painful thing about a summer holiday; what about forgetting the answers to quiz questions you once knew?
Read more »
Harris warns voting rights ‘under assault’ as family and activists honor MLKMartin Luther King’s family and civil rights advocates urged lawmakers to ‘protect our voting rights or be an enabler of voter suppression’
Read more »