Newspoll puts Shorten ahead on health

Voters think Opposition Leader Bill Shorten is the best candidate to manage Medicare, but still prefer Malcolm Turnbull running the economy, a new poll shows.

A Newspoll taken for The Australian shows the prime minister is considered more capable to manage the economy, national security, asylum-seekers, tax reform and interest rates, but Labor's Mr Shorten is the preferred manager for health, education and climate change.

The survey marks a turnaround for Mr Shorten from three months ago, when the same survey suggested voters thought Mr Turnbull was better equipped to manage the traditional Labor issues.