Majority of Aussies think country is going in the wrong direction, poll reveals
Nearly two-thirds of voters believe Australia is heading in the wrong direction, according to new polling, as One Nation’s primary vote edges ahead of Labor.
Polling released by Roy Morgan on Tuesday revealed 65 per cent of Australians are not satisfied with the direction the country is moving in, with the number of Aussies who think the country is doing well falling to 21 per cent, the survey of 1561 people found.
Labor under Anthony Albanese fell behind in the primary vote to One Nation, new polling has revealed. Getty Images
One Nation’s primary vote rose by 0.5 per cent to 25.5 per cent, nudging it ahead of Labor, which stayed steady at 25 per cent.
The Coalition remained third with a primary vote of 21.5 per cent.
However, despite One Nation leading the primary vote, Roy Morgan said Labor was still ahead in the two-party preferred vote, currently sitting at 54 per cent, ahead of One Nation at 46 per cent.
If the contest is between Labor and the Coalition, Labor leads 53 per cent to 47 per cent.
“If a federal election were held now, the ALP would win a majority against either One Nation or the Coalition,” Roy Morgan said.
“In many electorates at the election the contest is set to be between the ALP and One Nation.”
The survey found more Australians feel the country is not travelling in the right direction than ever before, with the number of dissatisfied voters rising by one per cent.
About 95 per cent of One Nation voters and 77 per cent of Coalition voters believe the country is heading in the wrong direction, while 30 per cent of Labor voters are also unhappy with how things are going in Australia.
It comes with migration at the centre of the political debate, with the federal government last week handing down its plan to reduce the country’s migrant intake.
Backpackers at Bronte Beach on Christmas. The government’s migration reforms could see almost 30,000 backpackers kicked from Australia. Flavio Brancaleone
Labor’s migration plan was supposed to be announced last month, but an address from Immigration Minister Tony Burke at the National Press Club was postponed at the last minute after reports of disagreement in cabinet over the specifics of the policy.
Some of the reforms include a ballot to decide whether backpackers can remain in Australia, as well as not allowing international students or graduates to add families to their visa unless they are completing a doctorate.
The Coalition and One Nation have also proposed significant cuts to migration.
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