The Australia Institute commissioned ReachTEL to poll the federal seat of Wentworth (886 respondents) on the evening of 27th August. 

Key Findings:

• Liberal Party primary vote crashes to 39.6%, compared to 2016 election 62.3% primary vote (-22.7%)
• Liberal primary vote lower still (34.6%) when potential independent candidates named
• Majority of voters (62.5%) think Australia should move to 100% renewable energy within the next 5-10 years
• Majority of voters (66.6%) think the national Energy Guarantee should include an emissions reduction target
• Majority of voters (68.6%) think new Prime Minister Scott Morrison will do less to tackle climate change than Malcolm Turnbull
• Voters unimpressed with Scott Morrison’s lump of coal antics, majority (50.9%) say it made them less likely to vote Liberal next election

“Malcolm Turnbull had a huge personal vote and is enormously popular in the electorate. These figures show the new Liberal candidate faces a major challenge to retain the seat for the government,” said Ben Oquist, executive director of The Australia Institute. 

“The task is made all the more difficult because this poll shows the government is out of touch with the people of Wentworth on climate issues. The electorate backs renewables over coal hands down. 

“Wentworth voters want a National Energy Guarantee with an emissions reduction target, and they want renewables sooner. 

“Australia needs an integrated climate and energy policy to have a secure investment environment. This will ultimately bring power prices down, increase reliability, and drive down pollution. 

“Equating emission reductions with higher prices gets both the politics and economics wrong. These poll results show that the community understands action on climate change is in Australia’s national interest.”