Labour's traditional working class is leaving the Albanian government, according to a new poll.
In an even more worrying development for beleaguered Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, vocational and TAFE-educated voters are not defecting to progressive parties, such as the Greens or Teals, but straight to the Coalition.
The exodus was reported by Victoria-based pollster Redbridge, which found that workers' support for the government had fallen from 36 percent to 30 percent.
As a result, the government's preferential support for this group drops from 57 to 48 percent.
There are worrying polls for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's Labor government
More than half of those polled (53 percent) said Labor was focusing on the right priorities, while just 30 percent thought the government had the right focus.
The decline in worker support comes despite Albanese's strong ties to the working class.
Mr Albanese constantly repeated stories from his childhood during his election campaign, recalling how he was raised by a single mother in committee housing.
The Prime Minister even described himself as a 'working class boy from public housing'.
Mr Albanese had promised to “move wages” and usher in sweeping industrial relations reforms. One of the promises was to close loopholes used by bosses to undermine wages and working conditions.
The cost-of-living crisis has turned many voters against Mr. Albanese, who was recently photographed enjoying a glass of wine from a $500 bottle of wine, appearing out of touch with his humble roots.
In another ominous sign for Labor, a majority of voters for the first time believe Opposition Leader Peter Dutton and the Coalition are ready to govern.
RedBridge director Tony Bary said the trends were not good for Labour.
“Many of the leading figures in our polls are moving away from Albanian and will drag down his vote if he does not take strong remedial action,” he told the newspaper. Daily telegram.
“The Albanian government's ability to navel-gaze on issues that are not personally relevant to most voters is becoming a major political problem.”
On an overall two-party preference basis, the result is much the same as last year's election, with Labor leading 52.1 to 47.9 percent.
Labour's primary vote is almost identical at 33 percent, while the Coalition's 35 percent lags behind the 41 percent it registered under Scott Morrison.
Previous Redbridge polling in the marginal federal seats of Queensland and South Australia showed Mr Albanese was not viewed favorably in focus groups.
New polling shows voters in trades and other blue-collar professions are abandoning the federal Labor Party
Participants called him a “beta male” who failed to address their concerns about the rising cost of living
“He hasn't really addressed the cost of living and I understand there are global factors at play, but I don't think he's taken much concrete action on it,” one attendee said.
“I just don't see much action on cost-of-living pressures. He is missing and now he is fleeing abroad again,” one person said.
In its latest poll, Redbridge also tested views on immigration and found that as many as 70 percent of respondents thought Australian cities were overcrowded.
Forty-six percent believed immigration should be reduced, while only 8 percent said it should increase.
“Voters now readily recognize that there is a problem between supply and demand for housing and they are making the connection between that problem, supporting infrastructure and immigration levels,” Mr Bary said.
Australia took in a record 400,000 migrants last financial year, leading to concerted pressure on the government to reduce the influx.
In a belated response earlier this month, Mr Albanese admitted the immigration system was “broken” and vowed to fix it.