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AAP’s Callum Godde reports: Jacinta Allan is wearing the unwanted crown of Australia’s most unpopular leader, with polling suggesting she could be a drag on Labor’s Federal election hopes.
The Victorian Labor premier is on the electoral ropes but vowing to keep punching, even if she costs her party the Federal election.
A poll of 2013 Victorians by independent polling firm Redbridge, published by The Herald Sun on Thursday, showed Premier Jacinta Allan’s net satisfaction rating was minus 35.
It’s the lowest of any political leader in the nation, with state Labor also trailing the coalition 51-49 on a two-party-preferred basis.
Political scientist Zareh Ghazarian said the state Labor government’s popularity has been sliding since Daniel Andrews handed the reins to Ms Allan in September 2023.
“That (two-party-preferred result) is putting Labor in a state election-losing position,” the Monash University senior lecturer told AAP.
“That’s a massive swing of around six per cent (since the 2022 election).”
The RedBridge co-director and former state Labor campaign strategist Kos Samaras said it was hard to envision Ms Allan reversing the tide ahead of the 2026 state election as voters views were “baked in”.
Ms Allan’s slumping personal popularity could also taint the party’s federal Labor push to retain marginal Victorian seats such as Chisholm, Aston and Bruce, Dr Ghazarian said.
“It’s grim reading for Labor … it’s really troubling.”
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