Economy
Labor support slides further
SUPPORT for the Tasmanian Labor Government has fallen to just 20 per cent of the primary vote – below the level of New South Wales’ doomed Labor government.
Only one in five Tasmanians voters would put the Labor Party first on their ballot paper if an election was held tomorrow, according to the latest EMRS opinion poll out today.
The political snapshot reveals the same proportion of Tasmanians now support the Greens as vote Labor.
The Greens’ primary vote exceeded Labor’s in four of the five electorates, with the exception of Braddon in the state’s North-West.
But when the votes of the 23 per cent of undecided respondents in last weekend’s survey are distributed according to their political leanings, Labor’s primary vote rises to 27 per cent ahead of the Greens’ 25 per cent.
Across the state, in all five electorates, support for the Liberal Party was dramatically higher than for both Labor and the Greens.
The Liberal primary vote now sits at 36 per cent, up six points on the last EMRS opinion poll in November.
When undecided voters are asked to chose a party, the level of Liberal support statewide jumps further to 46 per cent.
The first political survey for the Labor government since David Bartlett quit as premier in late January, shows new Premier Lara Giddings has not been able to resurrect Labor’s fortunes.
Support for Labor was down 3 per cent in the past three months, as the Government’s financial crisis was revealed.
In the preferred premier stakes, Liberal leader Will Hodgman remains the most popular leader with 38 per cent.
Read the EMRS poll for yourself, HERE
Matthew Denholm, The Australian: New leader, same story as opinion poll spells disaster for Labor
Nationally: Labor elders tell the party to go green to recover lost votes
EMRS POLL RESULT RESPONSE
Nick McKim MP
Greens Leader
The Tasmanian Greens today said that the latest EMRS state voting intentions poll showed support fro the Party remains consistent state-wide.
Greens Leader Nick McKim MP said it is heartening to see the ongoing and consistent support from the community, and the Greens will continue to put in the hard yards to maintain that vote of confidence.
“While polls come and go throughout the election cycle it is heartening to see that Greens’ support has remained consistently higher than we received at the state election nearly a year ago,” Mr McKim said.
“This poll reflects the fact that Greens have and will continue to work hard to deliver progressive policy outcomes, and contribute constructively to a workable and stable government.”
Mr McKim also addressed the drop in his rating as preferred Premier.
“The standout from this poll for me is that the Greens vote continues to rise. I am way more interested in the Greens’ popularity than my own, and anyone who places more importance on their own individual performance rating over that o their party should not be in the position of Leader,” Mr McKim said.
Liberal Party State Director Jonathan Hawkes:
NSW LABOR DISEASE COMES TO TASMANIA
27 February 2011
Confirmation that David Bartlett was replaced as Premier by Labor’s “faceless men” confirms that the NSW Labor disease has come to Tasmania, Liberal Party State Director Jonathan Hawkes said today.
“Not only is Tasmanian Labor in a race with NSW Labor to see who can get the lowest primary vote, they’re now adopting NSW Labor’s tactics where they treat the Premiership as their own plaything,” Mr Hawkes said.
“Rather than governing for the people, Labor are governing for themselves, worried only about their own self-preservation and not about what it is important for Tasmanians, like the spiralling cost of living.
“Paul Lennon might be gone as Premier, but he’s back pulling Lara’s strings.
“Changing the Premier didn’t work for Labor in NSW; it didn’t work for Labor in Canberra; and it’s clearly not working for Labor in Tasmania.
“NSW Labor became terminal after they dumped a second Premier without an election.
“After doing the same and dumping both Paul Lennon and David Bartlett, you have to ask whether Tasmanian Labor is in the same death spiral.
“And with his own personal numbers declining by 25 percent and the Greens looking at the loss of at least one seat, Nick McKim needs to ask himself how long the Greens can afford to prop up this dysfunctional Labor government.”