Albo’s a winner but Bill’s the man

SENIOR Labor figures have thrown their support behind Bill Shorten as polls show the Opposition would be in a better position, ahead of five byelections, if Anthony Albanese was leader.

The YouGov Galaxy polling published yesterday shows the Opposition trailing 49 to 51 per cent in the Queensland seat of Longman, which was won by Labor’s Susan Lamb at the last election.

In the Tasmanian seat of Braddon, support was 50-50 on a two-party preferred basis, with the Liberals’ Brett Whiteley on the verge of winning back the seat he lost to Labor’s Justine Keay in 2016.

The poll showed if Mr Albanese was leader, his personal popularity would add six points to Labor’s primary vote in Longman, taking it to 43 per cent, and an extra four points in Braddon, to 44 per cent.

Labor frontbencher Andrew Leigh said being opposition leader was the highestpressure job in politics.

“Bill has done that remarkably well over the last five years, bringing together the Labor team, putting out positive policies – he’ll be leading us to the next election and he’ll be the next prime minister,” Mr Leigh said yesterday.

Labor colleague Michelle Rowland said the by-elections were not about Mr Shorten.

“This is about all Australians who want to decide whether they want a better future, what sort of choices they want made about giving $17 billion to the big banks or whether to invest in hospitals,” she said.

Mr Turnbull said the byelections were about Mr Shorten and his “anti-business” policies.

“There is no doubt that the voters in Longman know very well that a vote for Susan Lamb is a vote for Bill Shorten and his higher taxes, just as the voters in Braddon know that a

HE (BILL SHORTEN) WILL BE LEADING US TO THE NEXT ELECTION AND HE’LL BE THE NEXT PRIME MINISTER LABOR’S ANDREW LEIGH

vote for Justine Keay is a vote for Bill Shorten and his higher taxes,” Mr Turnbull said in Tennant Creek.

Mr Shorten is campaigning in Braddon, while Mr Albanese has hit the campaign trail in Perth.

The latest early voting figures show almost 17,000 voters have already cast their verdict in Longman, with 10,300 turning out in the South Australian seat of Mayo.

Labor is tipped to comfortably hold the seats of Perth and Fremantle in WA. Meanwhile, One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has withdrawn from campaigning in Longman due to “exhaustion”.