Labor 52, Coalition 48

With looney Abbott saturation bombing himself and trashing Australia, looks like Labor is making a spectacular comeback. I would have to say the Abbott gov is in trouble.

Yes, the electorate wanted to stop the asylum-seeker boats, but this poll suggests they are less than impressed by the way in which ''Major'' Scott Morrison is setting out to achieve this end.

Traditionally, it takes a long time for a defeated government to get its nose back in front in the polls. Pollster John Stirton's analysis of elections since 1972 shows it has taken between 12 months (in 1972) to two years (in 2007) for an opposition to secure a two-party preferred lead after a change of government.

That Labor has done so within a couple of months is remarkable, and should invite self-examination by both sides of politics. Read more 

Bill Shorten has made the strongest debut of any opposition leader since Kevin Rudd, propelling Labor into the lead against a government weighed down by its secretive asylum seeker response and an unconvincing commitment to action on global warming. 

The first Fairfax-Nielsen poll since the election on September 7 has charted a rapid recovery for the ALP, with the opposition shooting to a 52 to 48 per cent lead over the government, according to the preferences of respondents. This is the quickest poll lead achieved by any federal opposition after losing an election. 

It is also the first time in more than three years that Labor has led on the two-party-preferred vote. Read more