Australian PM’s approval rating increases following policy announcements

Canberra, April 24 (IANS) Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's approval rating has increased following a week of strong policy announcements, according to a latest public opinion poll issued on Monday.

The latest Newspoll showed that the right-leaning government, led by Prime Minister Turnbull has narrowed the gap to just four points down from six points, with the government trailing the opposition 48-52 per cent in the two-party preferred vote (after preferences), Xinhua news agency reported.

In the primary vote (before preferences), the coalition has taken the lead over the Labor opposition, posting a 36 per cent to 35 per cent result, however it has been unable to recapture voters from the far-right One Nation Party, which maintained its shock 10 per cent share.

Meanwhile, the Greens have 9 per cent of the vote, while independent parties account for the remaining 10 percent.

The coalition's slight rise in popularity comes on the back of two policy announcements by the government.

Last week, the government said it would abolish the nation's skilled foreign workers visa in favour of a stricter alternative, while later, Turnbull announced a tougher citizenship test in order to make sure migrants and potential citizens adhere to "Australian values."

As a result of the tough reforms, Turnbull increased his lead as "preferred Prime Minister" over Opposition Leader Bill Shorten by one point, while both leaders experienced an increase in their net satisfaction rating; Turnbull's net satisfaction rating grew four points while Shorten's net satisfaction increased by two points.