Mounting pressure on Sussan Ley as Coalition support crumbles

Voters are continuing to desert the Coalition, with the ditching of its net-zero pledge failing to stem reports of a looming challenge to Liberal leader Sussan Ley for the job.

A poll in today's Australian Financial Review reveals the Coalition's primary vote dropped 5 per cent in a month to a record low of 24 per cent.

Voters were canvassed last week during the Liberal party's tortuous review of its energy policy, which ended in MPs voting to join their Coalition partners, the Nationals, in abandoning the net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 target.

READ MORE: Boy, 14, on bail allegedly stabs 19-year-old on quiet Melbourne street

The new poll reaffirmed Ley's appeal is failing to cut through with voters, with a net favourability rating of minus 21 per cent.

The mark is the difference between her approval rating of 13 per cent and her disapproval rating of 34 per cent.

In contrast, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese holds a net favourability of minus 2 per cent - the difference between his approval rating of 37 per cent and his disapproval rating of 39 per cent.

The big winner from the Coalition's woes is One Nation.

Support for the populist party led by Pauline Hanson rocketed four points to a record high of 18 per cent, the AFR/ Redbridge/Accent Research poll found.

READ MORE: Trump hints at decision on Venezuela - is the US about to go to war?

Adding fuel to the fire over speculation about Ley's future as leader was a report in The Australian today about moderate Liberal MPs abandoning her and looking to right-winger Andrew Hastie.

So great is their frustration with her performances, a leadership tilt by Hastie before the end of the year cannot be ruled out, some MPs say.

Ley put a brave face on her dire polling numbers today when she was quizzed by callers on 2GB.

She talked up the Coalition's new energy policy as "affordable and responsible" before taking questions from listeners.

Ley also remained steadfast when presenter Ben Fordham replayed comments from callers from September when Hastie quit the Coalition frontbench, prompting talk of a leadership challenge.

Quizzed whether they wanted "Sussan or Andrew", the callers indicated an overwhelming choice for Hastie. One even went as far as saying "definitely not Sussan".

Ley insisted she was not hurt or swayed by the comments.

"People are entitled to their views. I'm not here for a sense of ego ... how I feel about a particular view doesn't really come into it."

Sign up here to receive our daily newsletters and breaking news alerts, sent straight to your inbox.