CANBERRA, April 3 (Xinhua) -- Popular support for Australia's Prime Minister (PM) and his government has grown, polling has found.
According to the latest edition of Newspoll published by The Australian on Monday, PM Anthony Albanese's net approval rating, which is calculated by subtracting the portion of voters dissatisfied with his performance from those satisfied, has grown from positive-17 in March to positive-21.
It marks a significant turnaround in 12 months from Albanese's negative-14 rating in mid-April 2022 -- one month before he led the Labor Party to victory in the election.
When asked who would make the better PM, 58 percent of respondents to the poll chose Albanese and only 26 percent opposition leader Peter Dutton.
Dutton's net approval rating was negative-13.
The poll, which was conducted during a week where Albanese secured support for his signature climate policy, found that Labor now leads Dutton's coalition 55-45 on a two-party preferred basis.
By comparison, Labor won the election in 2022 with a 52-48 margin.
The poll was published days after Labor claimed victory in the by-election in the seat of Aston in Melbourne's outer eastern suburbs, ending the coalition's 33-year hold on the electorate.
It was the first time in over 100 years that an Australian government has won a seat from the opposition in a by-election and means the coalition holds only two seats in Melbourne, which is predicted to become Australia's largest city within a decade.
The result has sparked speculation over the future of Dutton's leadership. ■
