If polls are right, voters are in a mood to send Labor into the wilderness
Recent polling suggests that the Australian Labor government is losing voter support, leading to increased anxiety and agitation among backbenchers. The article highlights a shift in the political atmosphere as the government reaches the midpoint of its term.
Why it matters
It highlights the precarious nature of political majorities and the impact of public sentiment on legislative stability.
The Senate's growing hostility to the government's agenda is worth watching closely. ( ABC News: Che Chorley )
Link copied Share Share article Labor's sprawling backbench has been a sight to behold ever since the 2025 electoral bushfire that consumed the Coalition, leaving behind a lot of empty stumps and toasted tussocks.
The view from the press gallery seats drives this home. Below the viewer sprawls the government's 94-seat majority. It dominates the green benches of the lower house, spilling across the chamber's centre line deep into what is normally opposition upholstery.
It's the literal embodiment of political weight. All those bums on seats.
But for the first time in this parliament's life — and we're pretty much at the half-way mark — those rows upon rows of Labor MPs this week looked more like one of those forests where too much fuel has accumulated.
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