Labor still ahead, despite poll slump

Support for federal Labor has dropped in the past fortnight but the opposition still leads the Abbott government, the latest Newspoll shows.

The poll conducted over the weekend showed Labor narrowly ahead of the coalition by 51 to 49 per cent of the vote, with its two party vote slumping from 54 per cent over the last two weeks.

The coalition has staged a minor recovery despite the loss of 5000 jobs at Qantas and its refusal to provide assistance to the airline, with its primary vote rising from 39 per cent to 41 per cent.

Labor's primary vote dropped from 39 per cent to 35 per cent, while leader Bill Shorten's personal popularity continued to fall.

Satisfaction with the opposition leader is now 33 per cent, an 11 point drop since November last year.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott recorded a small rise in his personal popularity, with his satisfaction rating up two points to 38 per cent.