NSW Labor leader Chris Minns and Premier Dominic Perrottet.Credit:The Sydney Morning Herald
An exclusive Resolve Political Monitor survey last month revealed how damaging the Barilarotrade affair had been,with most voters viewing it as a case of “jobs for the boys”.
Perrottet’s handling of the saga,which dragged on for 10 weeks,was also criticised by 45 per cent of voters,who felt the issue had been dealt with poorly.
The government has also been locked in a long-running industrial battle with the rail union which has resulted in sporadic disruptions across Sydney’s train network.
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However,the survey of 1170 voters conducted in August and September was done before a horror week for Labor,which ended with Minns on Fridaysacking frontbencher Tania Mihailuk after she used parliamentary privilege to attack a party colleague who will be an upper house candidate.
Resolve director Jim Reed said there had been a big decline in support for the government since the last survey in February,when the Coalition’s primary vote was 37 per cent.
“This significant shift of support from the Coalition to Labor since February would give them an election win if reflected on polling day,” Reed said.
“A lot can happen in the next six months,of course,but this tells us that voters are at the very least sending a message to the government to focus on what matters to voters,and not stadiums,strikes and scandals.
“If they don’t,voters appear to be warming to Chris Minns as the alternative.”
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