Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s popularity has taken a nose dive, plunging five percentage points in the latest Newspoll released today.

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Turnbull’s support as preferred Prime Minister dropped from 41 points, to just 36 points, over the last fortnight. His lowest approval rating since he took office. Opposition Leader Bill Shorten now trails the PM by just two points.

The two-party result sees the Coalition tailing Labor by ten points with just 45 per cent support to Labor’s 55 per cent. Analysts say if a general election was held today the Coalition would be likely to lose as many as 20 seats.

The disaster poll result comes after a fortnight plagued with ongoing revelations about parliamentarians with dual citizenship.

When parliament’s lower house returns next week the Turnbull government will potentially face additional challenges as the opposition and cross-benchers make the most of the government’s new minority government status.

Plus the PM will have to contend with the ongoing humanitarian concerns on Manus Island and the results of the marriage postal survey.

Today’s poll result is the 27th in a row where the government has trailed in popularity to the opposition. When Malcolm Turnbull took over as Prime Minister from his predecessor Tony Abbott, he cited 30 losing polls in a row as a reason for changing leaders.

Asked which Liberal MP would make the best Prime Minister, those polled gave the most support to Deputy Liberal leader Julie Bishop who received 40 points in comparison to Malcolm Turnbull’s 27 points.

While the Prime Minister retained the highest level of support among Liberal voters, those who vote for other parties looked more favorably at Bishop. Immigration Minister Peter Dutton was a less popular choice, attracting just 11 points.

OIP Staff