Australian election: Labor pulls further ahead of Coalition in new poll

Labor has established a four point lead over the Coalition in two-party preferred terms, leading 52% to 48% in the latest Essential poll.

The lead is a 2% jump for Labor and 2% decline for the Coalition since a 50-50 tied result two weeks earlier in Essential. In that time Labor’s primary vote leapt three percentage points to 39%, with the Coalition on 40%.

On 5 April, Labor pulled ahead of the Coalition for the first time since Tony Abbott was replaced as prime minister with a 51-49% result in Newspoll.

The Essential poll found 35% of voters were more likely to vote for the Coalition due to Malcolm Turnbull’s ascension to the prime ministership. Some 23% said it made them less likely to vote for the Coalition, an increase from 14% when Turnbull got the top job in September.

Labor also won support for some of its proposed budget policies with voters favouring tightening capital gains tax exemptions (52% in favour to 19% opposed) and limiting negative gearing (48% to 24%).

Revenue raising measures that the Coalition adopted after Labor proposed them were also popular, with reducing superannuation tax concessions for high earners winning 60% support with 22% opposed and increasing cigarette taxes favoured by 67% to 21%.

Corporate tax cuts were unpopular, with only 22% in favour and 57% opposed, but voters would still like to see their own personal income taxes cut, 63% to 19%. Increases to heal

Respondents to the Essential poll still thought the Coalition would win an election, with 42% considering them favourites compared to 28% for Labor.

The poll found voters approved of Malcolm Turnbull’s apparent decision to call a double-dissolution election on the re-establishment of the Australian Building and Construction Commission, with 40% in favour and 28% opposed.

The government’s message about alleged union corruption appears to be having an impact, with 36% saying corruption was widespread in the building industry and 35% saying the same of unions generally.

But voters were even more critical of companies dodging tax, with 53% thinking there was widespread corruption involved, and of politicians, of whom 40% made the same judgement. Just 25% thought there was widespread corruption in the banking and finance sector.

Essential found little support for the ormer Labor prime minister Kevin Rudd’s bid to become UN secretary general, with 21% in favour. One of his opponents, Helen Clark, was favoured by 45% and even the “don’t know” option beat Rudd with 34%.