One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has been marked by recent polling respondents as doing a better job as a political leader than the PM or the Opposition Leader. Photo: Wikipedia.
New polling shows Australians approve of Pauline Hanson’s leadership of a political party more than they do of either the Prime Minister’s or the Opposition Leader’s.
It also shows One Nation’s primary vote is outstripping that of the Coalition.
The Essential Report, commissioned by The Guardian, recently surveyed 1067 demographically weighted voters and asked their opinions on political leadership.
Senator Hanson was given a higher approval rating than Anthony Albanese or Angus Taylor on the question of how they’re doing their jobs as leaders.
A total of 23 per cent of respondents strongly approved of the job Hanson is doing as leader of One Nation, while another 29 per cent said they approved, making a total of 52 per cent approving.
Only 11 per cent said they disapproved and 23 per cent strongly disapproved, to make a total of 34 per cent disapproving.
The survey also asked about Mr Albanese’s job as Prime Minister, returning a total of 41 per cent approving (10 per cent strongly) and 51 per cent disapproving (29 per cent strongly).
Asked about Mr Taylor’s leadership of the Opposition, an equal 34 per cent each said they approved and disapproved.
Those figures for the Opposition Leader included 7 per cent strongly approving and 13 per cent strongly disapproving.
Senator Hanson’s approval rating spans across all ages, with a 48 per cent positive rating in the 18-to-34-year-old group, 50 per cent approval among 35 to 54s, and 58 per cent approval in the 55-plus bracket.
Unsurprisingly, the One Nation leader’s highest approval rating is in Queensland, with 59 per cent approving and 30 per cent disapproving.
This is followed by South Australia (53 vs 32 per cent), NSW (52 vs 34 per cent) and Victoria (50 vs 38 per cent).
Across all jurisdictions, 56 per cent of men gave Senator Hanson a positive approval, while 49 per cent of women did.
When it comes to people’s primary voting intentions, Labor leads on 30 per cent, with One Nation just edging out the Coalition for second place at 25 per cent.
The Coalition scored 24 per cent of the primary vote question, with the Greens on 11 per cent, independents on 5 per cent, and “don’t know” also at 5 per cent.
Peter Lewis, executive director of Essential Media, which conducted the survey, told The Guardian: “The One Nation vote remains high and for the first time we can see that it’s more than 50 per cent of all voters approving of the job she is doing. Pauline Hanson’s popularity is clearly a factor.”
The same survey also sought views on placing a levy on gas exports and extending the cut to the fuel excise amid the current supply crisis due to the Middle East war.
The poll found strong support for both.
In the face of huge pressure to slap a 25 per cent tax on gas exports, Mr Albanese has ruled the measure out while addressing the mining sector in Perth on Wednesday (29 April).
Yet a total of 57 per cent of respondents supported such a tax on gas exports, while only 12 per cent opposed the idea and 31 per cent were unsure.
On the question of extending the fuel excise cut, a significant 68 per cent said yes.
The temporary halving of the petrol excise is due to expire in June, but voters want it extended while uncertainty over supplies from the Middle East remains.
A total of 54 per cent of respondents indicated they felt the country was “on the wrong track”, while 30 per cent said it was “heading in the right direction”.
Original Article published by Chris Johnson on Region Canberra.
