(Bloomberg) -- Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s personal approval rating has risen, according to new polling ahead of an election expected in May, though his government is still narrowly trailing the center-right opposition.
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Albanese’s approval rating rose by four points to 41% in a Newspoll survey published in the Australian newspaper, while disapproval of his performance fell five points to 53%, giving him a total net approval of minus-12. At the same time, opposition Liberal Party leader Peter Dutton saw his overall approval rating decline to minus-14.
Still, the Liberal-National Coalition maintained its lead over Albanese’s Labor Party by 51% to 49% for a third straight month, Newspoll showed. If that result were reflected in an election, it would likely see Labor forced to rely on minority parties and independents to cling onto power.
Albanese was forced to abandon plans late last week to call an election for April 12 to try to capitalize on strong economic data and the first interest-rate cut in more than four years. That was scuppered as Cyclone Alfred menaced Australia’s northeastern coast, with the prospect of trying to launch a campaign in the midst of a potential natural disaster seen as unrealistic.
The government is now expected to hold a budget on March 25 before calling an election for either May 3, May 10 or May 17 — the latter being the latest date available.
Labor is trying to convince voters that Australia’s economy has turned a corner after a surge in inflation drove a sharp increase in rates and triggered a cost-of-living squeeze on voters.
The economy snapped a seven-quarter per capita GDP recession in the final three months of last year, and economic growth strengthened in the period, a March 5 report showed. That came two weeks after the central bank cut the cash rate by a quarter-point to 4.1% as policy makers gained confidence that inflation was coming under control.
However, cost-of-living issues are expected to dominate the forthcoming campaign, with voters frustrated with the government’s efforts and still grappling with volatile power prices and a national housing crisis.
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