Newspoll: Labor’s vote slips, as gap narrows between Anthony Albanese’s government and Peter Dutton’s Liberals

Anthony Albanese’s goal for a new year reset has flopped, with Newspoll showing Labor’s vote slipping, and a narrowing gap with Peter Dutton’s Liberals.

In results published in The Australian, the new poll shows Labor’s two-party preferred vote dropping to 51 per cent, compared to 49 per cent — a one-point change for both sides.

Labor’s primary vote dropped by one point to 32 per cent, while the Coalition’s support grew by a point to 37 per cent.

Despite the narrowing contest, Anthony Albanese extended his lead over Peter Dutton as preferred Prime Minister by two percentage points.

The result is the lowest point for Labor this term, bar one poll after the Voice referendum, where Labor’s primary hit just 31 per cent.

The narrowing comes after an effort by Labor to turn poll results around, by announcing an overhaul of the stage three tax cuts, breaking a key election promise.

Under the changes, while those on lower incomes received higher cuts, those close to annual salaries of $200,000 received smaller tax rebates than under the original model.

The poll also comes ahead of the final sitting week before May’s Federal Budget and after Tasmanian voters failed to vote decisively for either a Liberal or Labor government.

Though ballots in the Apple Isle were still being counted on Sunday, a hung parliament is on the cards.

The incumbent Liberal Government has won more seats than Labor, but was still six seats short of the required 18 for a majority.

After suffering a 12 per cent swing against them, the Liberals under Premier Jeremy Rockliff will likely have to form minority government with an expanded crossbench after a number of independent candidates gained support.

Labor leader Rebecca White conceded defeat on Sunday, saying it was “very unlikely” her party could form a minority government.