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Scott Morrison’s approval ratings slide to lowest point in a year

Economy
29 March 2021 13:24 (AEST)

Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s approval ratings have fallen to their lowest level in a year as he struggles to contain backlash over the alleged mistreatment of women in parliament.

A poll conducted for The Australian, published today, found that Morrison’s public support dropped seven points in two weeks to 55 per cent — the first time since last March that his ratings have not been in the 60s.

The poll also found the Liberals trail the Opposition and that if the results were replicated in an election, Morrison’s conservative government would lose office to the centre-left Labor.

It follows historical rape allegations made against Attorney-General Christian Porter, who has firmly denied the accusations.

Two female Liberal Party employees also said they were raped by a former employee, who has not been identified, in 2019 and 2020.

Most recently, there have been other reports of lewd acts by male staff in parliament, fueling outrage that the government has allowed a toxic and sexist workplace to fester.

Morrison has ordered a probe into parliament’s workplace culture but has been criticised for failing to map out new policy initiatives that would address broader issues of sexism and violence against women.

He took a surprise victory in the 2019 election, but his popularity has waned significantly following his response to the deadly bushfires that took place in late 2019 and early 2020.

The poll was based on surveys of more than 1500 voters across capital cities and regional areas from Wednesday to Saturday, with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.

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