Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has never been more unpopular, with a bruising new poll showing 60 per cent of people dissatisfied with his leadership. The results come following a series of controversies, including his handling of the Bondi Beach terror attack, broken promises in the budget and the return of ISIS brides.
The exclusive Sky News Pulse / YouGov poll found 60 per cent of voters were dissatisfied with Mr Albanese, compared with just 34 per cent who were satisfied. Overall, Mr Albanese suffered a net negative satisfaction rating of -26, and delivered Labor its worst primary vote ever under his leadership.
The poll showed Labor’s primary vote had fallen to just 26 per cent, trailing One Nation on 29 per cent but ahead of the Coalition on 20 per cent. The dramatic decline comes after the Albanese government’s controversial federal budget, which formalised broken promises on negative gearing and capital gains.
Ahead of the 2025 election, Mr Albanese repeatedly ruled out changes to either negative gearing or capital gains tax arrangements. But in the government’s first budget after securing a supermajority, Labor wound back negative gearing concessions and abolished the 50 per cent capital gains tax discount.
The reforms were framed by the government as a matter of “intergenerational equity”, with ministers arguing the tax system needed to be made fairer. The previous Sky News Pulse found voters were unconvinced by the argument, with just one per cent of voters believing they would be much better off under the reforms.
Mr Albanese also faced criticism after bundling Labor’s $250 tax cut with the highly controversial negative gearing and capital gains tax reforms, wedging the opposition. Before becoming Prime Minister, Mr Albanese repeatedly pledged to end divisive politics and suggested he would avoid wedging the opposition.
Among Australians who voted Labor at the 2025 federal election, 16 per cent have since said they regret their decision. Based on Labor’s 2025 vote, that equates to roughly one million people who backed Labor at the ballot box but are now unhappy with their choice. Nine per cent of One Nation voters and nine per cent of Coalition voters also regretted their decision from 2025.
Despite the dissatisfaction, Mr Albanese narrowly remains ahead as preferred prime minister, leading Opposition Leader Angus Taylor by 41 per cent to 39 per cent. Mr Albanese also held a lead as preferred prime minister over Pauline Hanson, 47-41.
