Peter Dutton has eclipsed Anthony Albanese as preferred prime minister for the first time in the Resolve Political Monitor.
Forty per cent of voters now rank Peter Dutton, right, and the Coalition as best to manage the economy, with only 24 per cent naming Anthony Albanese and Labor.The exclusive findings mark the first time Dutton has eclipsed Albanese as preferred prime minister in the Resolve Political Monitor, the regular surveys conducted for this masthead by research company Resolve Strategic.
Resolve director Jim Reed said the latest survey showed Dutton was making significant gains and was not suffering a backlash over his climate stance.“The important point is not Dutton’s narrow lead, but that he’s drawn level at all when this measure typically favours fresh incumbents,” Reed said. The findings highlight the growing damage to Labor from household frustrations with higher prices and the impact of a dozen interest rate hikes since the last election.
Thirty-eight per cent said Dutton and the Coalition would be better at managing immigration and refugees, and 21 per cent named Albanese and Labor. The government had a small lead on this question as recently as October. The Resolve Political Monitor surveyed 1607 eligible voters from Tuesday to Saturday to generate results with a margin of error of 2.5 percentage points. The changes in the primary vote were within the margin of error, but the verdict from voters on Albanese and Dutton involved swings outside the margin.