RORTS SAGA HURTS LABOR

Voter trust in Andews falls

“Voters rarely turf out a government when they feel confident in the direction the state is heading.” YOUGOV GALAXY MANAGING DIRECTOR DAVID BRIGGS

VOTER trust in the Andrews Government has been shattered by the rorts-for-votes scandal that has triggered a police investigation and dawn raids at the homes of Labor staff.

The results of an exclusive YouGov Galaxy poll for News Corp reveal the crisis implicating 21 Labor MPs in the misuse of almost $388,000 has undermined public confidence in Labor’s integrity.

A decisive 57 per cent of voters polled said they were either “much less likely” or a “little less likely” to trust the Andrews Government in the wake of the red shirts saga.

This includes almost 40 per cent of Labor voters who said they had lost some trust in the government because of the scheme.

With little more than 100 days before the November 24 election, the results will heighten anxiety within Labor about the possible impact if ministers and MPs are raided or interviewed by police.

The poll shows Labor is clinging to a statewide lead of 51-49 per cent on a two-party preferred basis.

The polling was conducted on August 7-8 of 1095 people at a statewide level.

In good news for the gov- ernment, it looks like optimism has returned to Victoria. YouGov Galaxy managing director David Briggs said a majority of people now say the state is heading in the right direction — compared to 41 per cent early last year.

“Voters rarely turf out a government when they feel confident in the direction the state is heading,” he said.

On the Coalition side, its East West Link policy appears to be a vote winner, with 33 per cent of people saying it makes them more likely to vote for the Opposition. That policy for a cross-city tolled road tunnel was central to the 2014 State campaign, when Daniel Andrews promised to dump it if he won power.

The Coalition is also well in front on the issue of managing crime, but is slightly behind on the cost of living battleground and Matthew Guy is behind Daniel Andrews on the question of better premier.