Newspoll dumps on Labor’s budget – worst in decades
A new poll ranks Labour’s budget as the worst since 1993; A majority of voters said the federal government’s latest fiscal plan would leave them worse off.
At the same time, the News Poll found primary support for Labor unchanged, as the coalition fell further behind and One Nation continued to rise.
Of the 1,252 voters surveyed, 52 percent believed their situation would get worse over the next 12 months due to the government’s tax changes and other measures, and only 11 percent thought their situation would improve.
The survey also found that 47 percent of voters think the budget creates a divide between younger and older generations, while 26 percent believe it rebalances the playing field and makes things fairer.
The survey, published in The Australian, ranked Chancellor Jim Chalmer’s efforts below the Abbott government’s controversial austerity budget in 2014 and the worst since the Keating government’s 1993 budget, which abandoned Labor’s notorious “LAW” tax cuts.
However, following David Farley’s victory in the Farrer by-election, Labor’s primary support remained unchanged at 31 per cent, while the coalition fell one percentage point to 20 per cent and One Nation’s share rose from 24 per cent to 27 per cent.
Anthony Albanese remained well ahead of Liberal Leader Angus Taylor as the preferred prime minister, with 46 per cent support compared to 38 per cent.
Some Liberals see a One Nation win in the Farrer byelection, which the coalition has held for the past 77 years, as an existential threat.
Senior figures in the party hope an ambitious plan for permanent annual tax cuts will help the coalition reconnect with voters who abandoned it after a year of political wrangling.
The opposition also hopes to capitalize on Labour’s decision to roll back concessions to investors, including negative gearing and capital gains tax relief.
A poll published Sunday on Freshwater showed 44 percent of voters think the budget will leave their homes worse off, while 13 percent think it will improve their situation.
More than 80 per cent of those polled think Labor has broken its promise to keep property tax cuts unchanged.
Dr Chalmers sought to set expectations by saying he did not believe the budget would increase support for Labour.
“I would be more surprised if there was some kind of budget bounce in the polls today, given that this budget is full of tough decisions, not donations,” he said.
As federal Labor continues to sell its controversial changes to housing taxes, it has announced a project expected to deliver an extra 51,000 homes from mid-2028.
Under an existing plan to fund more enabling infrastructure for housing, such as roads, sewers and utilities, the Commonwealth will pour $2 billion into projects in Queensland’s growth regions of Mount Peter, Southern Thornlands and Waraba.
Of this financing, $399 million will be given as a grant and $1.6 billion will be given as a zero-interest loan.
The Queensland government will provide an additional $399 million from its own coffers and 20,000 of the new properties will be allocated to first home buyers.
Deputy Prime Minister Jarrod Bleijie said the funding would help speed up construction.
“More homes are needed across Queensland, and quickly, and the most important way for the Crisafulli government to do its bit is to unlock land and supply, supply, supply.” he said.
