Australia PM Gets Record Approval Rating After Two Months in Job

(Bloomberg) -- Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has recorded the highest approval rating of any incoming leader in the country in more than 35 years.

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About 61% of Australians said they approved of Albanese’s performance in his first two months in office, according to survey by Newspoll published by The Australian on Sunday. That’s the highest of any incoming leader since the question was first asked by Newspoll in 1985.

Albanese has moved quickly to fulfill election promises since the May 21 vote, committing Australia to cut carbon emissions by 43% by 2030 and proceeding with his plans to change the constitution to allow for a representative body for Indigenous Australians in the nation’s parliament.

Still, he faces headwinds. An energy crisis is pushing up power prices for consumers and businesses while Australia’s surging inflation is expected to peak at 7.75% by December.

Just 26% of Australians disapproved of Albanese’s performance since he took power, giving the new prime minister a net approval rating of 35.

Support for Albanese’s Labor Party has also surged to 56% since the election, compared to 44% to the Liberal National Coalition, on a two-party preferred basis.

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