AAP Voters support Anthony Albanese (pic) over Bill Shorten as Labor leader, a new poll shows. As Labor’s two leadership hopefuls step onto the debating floor, polls are showing mixed support for Anthony Albanese and opponent Bill Shorten, and a senior Liberal has labelled their contest a pantomime.
A Morgan Poll released on Tuesday showed Mr Albanese was the preferred candidate to become Labor’s federal parliamentary leader, finding 41 per cent support among those polled, compared with Mr Shorten’s 23 per cent, while 36 per cent were undecided.
In a different poll by Essential Media, both Labor leadership aspirants trailed Prime Minister Tony Abbott in the popularity stakes.
Those polled preferred Mr Abbott over Bill Shorten 37 per cent to 32 per cent, while Mr Abbott held steady at 37 per cent over Mr Albanese on 31 per cent.
On Tuesday evening Mr Shorten and Mr Albanese will debate each other in Sydney, with a similar event planned in Melbourne on Friday.
Both men are on a nationwide campaign to sway rank and file members who will vote for their parliamentary party leader under new Labor guidelines, which gives them a shared say with caucus members.
Liberal Party director Brian Loughnane said the Labor Party was in disarray.
“The Australian Labor Party are now going through the pantomime of selecting a new leader,” he said in a statement on Tuesday.
“Whoever becomes Labor leader, they will still be beholden to the unions, the factions, the faceless men and the bitter personal divisions that paralysed the previous Parliament,” he said.
Both Mr Albanese and Mr Shorten have sworn to end Labor’s disharmony, and have sold themselves for the top job on qualities of experience and stability.
