Ahead of the five federal by-elections to be held this weekend, voters pushed government, the Unionparty`s Labour poll advanced, and support for health and education improved.
(Malcolm Turnbull) widened the gap between opposition party chieftain Schotton (Bill Shorten) and the prime minister of choice by 57 percent to 30 percent, the biggest gap between the two rivals in more than two years.
According to the exclusive Fairfax / Ipsos survey, Labour remains the party of choice for managing health and education, but the coalition has won a lot of support on both issues since the last election.
In the overall poll, Labour has maintained a long-term advantage over the league, but has lost a huge lead, with the government falling behind by 49% to 51% on both parties.
A modest increase in the Unionparty`s first-round vote and a slight fall in Labour`s support narrowed the gap from a month ago when the government trailed by 47 percent to 53 percent.
According to a new poll, 48 percent of voters think Labour is the best fit for health management, compared with 41 percent for the Unionparty.
But Labour was stronger in health two years ago, leading 50% to 35%.
In education, 49% of voters thought Labour was a better choice, while 42% of voters chose Unionparty. Labour led 51% to 37% two years ago.
The Unionparty has maintained a leading position in economic management, with 60% of voters supporting it, compared with 33% for Labour, but has also improved since the government led by 58% to 29% two years ago.
The Unionparty remains the party of choice for managing boat people, but the lead narrowed to 45% versus 41%, compared with 47% versus 32% two years ago.
On environmental issues, 49% of voters preferred Labour, compared with 35% in the coalition, a slightly narrower gap.
The 40% / 51% approval rate is based on the allocation of votes in the last federal election.
If you refer to the willingness expressed by the respondents, the two parties tied 50 percent to 50 percent, the same as the Fairfax / Ipsos survey in April.
Another sign of an increase in Mr Tan`s personal approval ratings is that in the past month, the percentage of voters who agreed with him has risen from 50 percent to 55 percent, while those who do not agree have fallen from 44 percent to 38 percent.
That means Mr Tan`s net approval rating rose to 17%, the strongest result since the last election.
Schotton`s approval rating fell from 40% to 38%, while the disapproval rating deteriorated slightly to 54% from 53%.
