Voter satisfaction in Malcolm Turnbull has sunk to a five-month low, according to the latest Newspoll.
Stronger than forecast economic growth figures last week have failed to arrest a slide in popularity for the prime minister, with confidence in his leadership falling four points in the past fortnight to 44%, a 16-point drop from the heights he enjoyed in mid-November.
The poll, published in the Australian newspaper on Tuesday, shows dissatisfaction with Turnbull increased three points to 41%, as he struggles to fill a policy void on tax reform.
Voters were polled between Thursday and Sunday last week, after Australian Bureau of Statistics figures were released showing a 0.6% jump in economic growth in the final quarter of 2015 for overall annual growth of 3%, half a percentage point higher than forecast.
It also followed the leak of sensitive Tony Abbott-era national security documents to the Australian newspaper, sparking a referral to the Australian federal police and renewed focus on the tensions between Turnbull and his predecessor.
In two party-preferred terms, the Coalition is still deadlocked with Labor at 50-50.
The primary votes for both major parties are also unchanged at 43% for the Coalition compared with Labor’s 35%.
The satisfaction rating for the opposition leader, Bill Shorten, jumped for the third consecutive poll and now sits at 30%, where it was in September before Turnbull moved against Tony Abbott.
An attack on Labor’s negative gearing policy based on analysis it would drive up rents and push down house prices withered after the report – commissioned anonymously – was found to have significant errors.
Turnbull continues to have a commanding lead as preferred prime minister, 55% to the Labor leader’s 21%.
Speaking in Adelaide, Turnbull parried questions about the satisfaction slump, saying he would “stick to my job”.
