Poll shows Coalition lifting support and Labor dropping

A dramatic shift in voter sentiment has tightened the race for power at the federal election by cutting primary vote support for Labor and giving the Coalition a boost that keeps it within sight of victory at the ballot box this Saturday.

The election will go down to the wire after voters softened their support for Labor over the past two weeks to cut the party’s primary vote from 34 to 31 per cent, wiping away gains made by Labor leader Anthony Albanese in the lead-up to the formal election campaign.

With Prime Minister Scott Morrison on the offensive with an appeal to voters to back him on economic management and national security, the new survey shows a small increase in the Coalition primary vote from 33 to 34 per cent.

The exclusive survey, conducted by Resolve Strategic for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, reveals a divided electorate with 34 per cent of all voters rejecting the major parties in favour of independents, the Greens and smaller parties.

With early voting under way since Monday last week, the survey found that only 14 per cent considered themselves ‘‘uncommitted’’ compared to 24 per cent two weeks ago.

‘‘As we near election day, voters are naturally locking in their choice, and in many cases have already voted,’’ said Resolve director Jim Reed. ‘‘It seems that the large group of uncommitted voters who were once sending a protest message, or were voting for change or parking their vote, have started to swing back to the known quantity.’’

With one third of voters choosing minor parties and independents, Morrison and Albanese will have to fight for second preferences in an unpredictable contest shaped in part by strong campaigns by ‘‘teal’’ independents in city electorates as well as support for Pauline Hanson’s One Nation and Clive Palmer’s United Australia Party.

When voters were asked to name the parties that would receive their preferences, the results showed Labor held a lead of 51 to 49 per cent in two-party terms, a significant narrowing in the election contest from the result of 54 to 46 per cent two weeks ago.

Morrison leads Albanese as preferred prime minister by 40 to 36 per cent compared to a wider margin of 39 to 33 per cent two weeks ago.

The Resolve Political Monitor surveyed 2049 voters from last Thursday to Tuesday. –