Anthony Albanese hits back after new poll shows who voters really want running the country

The Labor Party is trailing the Coalition in the polls as Australians remain concerned about the cost of living and interest rates.

A poll by the Australian Financial Review/Freshwater Strategy shows the government has a 49 percent majority on a two-party basis, compared to 51 percent for the opposition.

The Labor primary saw 32 percent of the vote, compared to 41 percent for the Coalition, with the Greens taking 12 percent.

Asked about Monday’s poll, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Labor is focused on the needs of the Australian people.

“These are challenging times but we are determined to get it right and continue to focus on the politics of division,” he told ABC radio.

“We’ll leave that to (Opposition Leader) Peter Dutton. We’re determined to focus on the needs of the Australian people.”

The poll of 1,061 voters was conducted between Friday and Sunday, after the federal parliament reopened last week.

The week was dominated by a rise in unemployment, a central bank warning that interest rates are unlikely to be cut anytime soon and clashes in parliament between the Labour Party and the coalition over refugee visas, gambling reform and the CFMEU.

Based on two-party preference, the government is on 49 percent to 51 percent for the opposition, the Australian Financial Review/Freshwater Strategy poll found (Photo: Peter Dutton)

The poll also asked voters about their most important issues.

When asked who would best manage cost of living pressures, 35 percent of voters nominated the Coalition, while 28 percent voted Labor and 37 percent were undecided.

The result was similar when voters were asked which major party would be better at managing the overall economy.

But when asked about their favourite prime minister, 45 percent of voters said Albanese was the prime minister, 41 percent for Dutton and 11 percent for neither.