Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (C, with NSW premier Chris Minns) leave flowers in tribute to the victims of the shopping mall attack
AFP

Support for Australia's center-left Labor government has fallen to its lowest point in two years due to recent economic difficulties and contentious political discussions about immigration, according to a new survey.

When it came to a two-party preferred basis, the Newspoll survey found that there was a stalemate in voter support, with 50% of respondents favoring the center-right Liberal-National Coalition and 50% siding with the Labor administration, Bloomberg cited the Australian as reporting.

The primary support for the Coalition rose to 39%, while for Labor it fell to 33%, the survey, which was conducted from June 3-7, revealed. The Newspoll survey is conducted monthly by media outlet The Australian, with the responses of 1,232 people from across the country.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's performance has declined significantly from his post-election high, and this is his weakest showing since November. Although Opposition Leader Peter Dutton's popularity has grown, he still lags behind Albanese as the preferred prime minister.

However, Albanese's net satisfaction rating dropped from 0 to -7. This drop in popularity coincides with Australia's impending national election in less than a year. A highly contested national election is expected as a result of Albanese's deteriorating performance and opposition leader Dutton's rising popularity, which saw an increase from -12 to -10.

The Albanese administration has also come under fire due to the controversy surrounding Direction 99, which has led to non-citizens with a criminal history receiving visas. Following the controversy, Immigration Minister Andrew Giles released new directions that prioritize community safety in response to contentious parliamentary discussions.

Also, last week, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) revealed that rising interest rates, ongoing inflation, and worldwide uncertainty have led to the country managing a meager growth of 0.1% in the first quarter of 2024 -- its lowest yearly gain since December 2020.

Support for the Greens also fell to 11% from 13% due to Adam Bandt's call to formally condemn Israel.