The latest Guardian Essential poll has found that Australian opposition leader Angus Taylor's approval rating has fallen sharply, while support for One Nation has plateaued. The survey of 1,060 voters also revealed significant public dissatisfaction with the Labor government's handling of inflation and the cost-of-living crisis.
Mr Taylor's net approval rating has dropped to minus 12, down from minus one in June, with his disapproval rating rising by seven points to 44%. His approval rating fell by 16 points among men, 20 points among those aged 35 to 54, and 13 points among younger voters, indicating a broad decline in support.
One Nation's primary vote has fallen to 25%, down one point from June and the second consecutive decline from a high of 28% in May. Meanwhile, Labor's indicative primary vote rose one point to 31%, while the Coalition dropped a further point to 22%, though all movements are within the poll's margin of error.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's approval rating ticked up one point to a net rating of minus 14, with 52% disapproving of his performance. The poll showed that 64% of voters rated the government's handling of inflation and cost-of-living as poor, while nearly 80% said these issues were among the most important facing the country.
On other key issues, only 39% rated Labor's performance on Medicare and health as good, while 22% rated the government positively on crime and 24% on immigration. The poll also found widespread public reluctance to embrace AI datacentres, with just 28% supporting such a facility in their local area. Concerns about energy demand and power prices were raised by 61% of respondents, with water supply cited by 44%.
