Worst ever low for ScoMo: PM punished over bushfire response

Labor is ahead of the coalition for the first time since the federal election and Prime Minister Scott Morrison's approval rating has plunged, according to a Newspoll.

Labor is in front 51-49 on a two-party-preferred basis in the poll conducted for The Australian, a significant turnaround from the last Newspoll in early December when the coalition led 52-48.

The coalition's primary vote has dropped two points to 40 per cent, while Labor's has increased from 33 to 36 per cent since early December.

Approval for Mr Morrison tumbled from 45 to 37 per cent, while Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese's rating leapt from 40 to 46 per cent.

Since the last poll Mr Morrison has faced sustained criticism over his handling of the bushfire crisis, especially his decision to take a family holiday in Hawaii.

He was met with anger and frustration during his visits to fire-affected communities.

Mr Albanese has overtaken Mr Morrison as preferred prime minister and leads the Liberal leader 43 to 39 per cent, according to the survey of 1505 voters conducted from January 8 to 11.

Support for the Greens rose one point to 12 per cent, while One Nation lost ground, falling one point to four per cent.

Backing for other minor parties dropped off one point to eight per cent.

Prime minister under fire for bushfire response

Mr Morrison has come under intense scrutiny in recent months for his response to the bushfire crisis.

Last month Mr Morrison went on a family holiday to Hawaii as bushfires raged around the country before cancelling it and returning home following the deaths of two firefighters in NSW.

The prime minister was then shouted down by angry bushfire victims as he visited the fire-ravaged community of Cobargo, in Bega Valley.

Residents who lost homes refused to shake his hand while others told him to “f**k off” and said he wasn’t welcome.

He was later accused of turning his back on a pregnant woman who just lost her home and was asking for more RFS funding, but the prime minister later defended his actions, saying he had a number of people he needed to meet.

Mr Morrison then copped a scolding from a member of his own party, with Andrew Constance, the Liberal MP for Bega, saying he didn’t even know the prime minister was visiting his local area and Cobargo residents “gave him the welcome he deserved”.

RFS fire boss Shane Fitzsimmons was also left outraged after only finding out about the PM deploying army reservists through media reports.

Mr Morrison was again slammed for a “shameless” ad posted on social media promoting the government’s response to the bushfire crisis.

Mr Morrison defended himself, saying: "The video message simply communicates the government's policy decisions and the actions the government is undertaking to the public.”

The prime minister has also faced criticism for not acting sooner to bolster the nation's firefighting capabilities.

On Wednesday, he suffered an awkward exchange with locals while touring South Australia’s badly burnt Kangaroo Island, where six bushfires continue to ravage the tourist hotspot.

Large blazes lashed the area last week, scorching more than a third of the island’s total area and killing an estimated 100,000 sheep.

After arriving on the island, the prime minister was met by a crowd of concerned locals.

“Thankfully, we've had no loss of life,” Mr Morrison said to the group, before they reminded him that a father and son had died fighting fires on the island.

The bodies of Dick Lang, a 78-year-old bush pilot, and his 43-year-old son Clayton were discovered on Saturday after family members said they had been battling a blaze for two days before trying to return to their own property.

Mr Morrison claimed he was referring to firefighters when he made the comment.

With AAP

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