Nat Barr has rejected Environment Secretary Tanya Plibersek’s insistence that she is not paying attention to polls, as new figures show Labour’s popularity is plummeting.
During a combative interview on Channel Seven’s Sunrise on Monday morning, Barr waved a copy of the Australian newspaper to show Ms Plibersek a headline about the shock Newspoll that put the Coalition ahead of Labour.
“Tanya, don’t say you don’t listen to the polls. I know you all do your own polls. What are you thinking about this morning,” Barr asked.
Ms Pilbersek responded: “What I also keep saying is that we are not focused on the polls. What we focus on is the cost of living for ordinary Australians.”
But Barr was unimpressed by this response.
‘When you wake up and see the headline on the front page: ‘Coalition advances for the first time since the elections’, it is a Newspoll, a credible poll. Are you telling me that none of you sit there and say, ‘Okay? , we’re in trouble here, it’s not good news”?’ Barr asked.
‘Or do you just say, ‘Yes, we are focused and doing the right thing’?’
“We are focused, we are doing the right thing. It’s a very close poll…’ Ms Plibersek said before Barr interrupted.
“So you’re not worried?” Barr asked again.
“What I would say is that as the elections get closer, people will remember what it was like to have a Liberal government,” Ms. Plibersek responded.
“They’ll remember Robodebt, they’ll remember secret ministries, they’ll remember sports reports, they’ll remember parking reports, they’ll remember what it’s like to have a liberal government.”
Sunrise interviewer Nat Barr (pictured center) heckled politicians Tanya Plibersek (pictured left) and Barnaby Joyce (pictured right) about how much attention they paid to polls
Barr then turned her questioning to Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce, who was also on screen.
“Barnaby, let’s go to you. They don’t like you much more,” Barr said.
Mr Joyce ignored the jab.
“Well, the thing is, of course we look at the polls. “Tanya watches the polls, I watch the polls,” he said.
“Do you do your own things too, Barnaby?” Barr asked.
‘We do it ourselves.’
“So both parties do their own polls. If you say, “We don’t listen to the polls,” is that not correct?’ Barr asked.
‘Of course we do. I absolutely do, 100 percent. If you say no, people will think you are not being honest with them.
Opposition leader Peter Dutton (photo left) still follows Anthony Albanese (photo right) as preferred prime minister
“What’s happening, the bigger problem with the Labor Party is the trend, and the trend has been down all along.”
Mr Joyce then listed the reasons why he thought Labor was losing support before Barr interrupted.
‘Is it a problem on your side, Barnaby, if you look at the “better prime minister”? Albanese is still 45, Dutton is still 37,” Barr said.
‘Do you have a problem with Dutton? Isn’t he good enough for you?’
‘Generally speaking, the Prime Minister will always lead the Leader of the Opposition in this regard. It is because he has the mantle, the Prime Minister has the biggest microphone and will always be there,” Mr Joyce replied.
‘What you have to look at is the underlying poll. I have always said to my colleagues: ‘Labor is a one-term government’.”
Mr Joyce outlined the historical rarity of one-term governments before Barr interrupted again.
“Do you really think you can get the majority, Barnaby?” Barr asked
‘Don’t know. I think the Albanians are doing everything they can to form a one-term government,” Mr Joyce replied.
‘He has lost connection with the people. “I don’t know if… I think a hung parliament is the number one horse in this race right now.”
Monday’s Newspoll surveyed 1,258 voters nationally last week and found the Coalition has overtaken the Labor Party with a 51-49 lead on a two-party preference basis.
It is the first time Labor has trailed the opposition since the 2022 election in Newspolls, which are largely regarded as the most authoritative poll on voting intentions.
Mr Albanese still has a 45-37 lead over Mr Dutton on who would be the better prime minister.
However, Albanese’s net approval rating fell to the lowest level since he became prime minister, falling to negative 14 to level with opposition leader Peter Dutton.