Australian election campaign begins, polls show opposition ahead

div classBodysc17zpet90 cdBBJodivpBy Renju Josep

pSYDNEY Reuters – Australia Prime Minister Scott Morrison extended his lead as the countrys preferred leader but his government could still lose the federal election to be held next month, a poll showed on Monday, the first day of the official campaign.pdivdivdiv classBodysc17zpet90 cdBBJodiv

pA Newspoll conducted for The Australian newspaper showed Morrison gaining a point to 44, while opposition leader Anthony Albanese falling 3 points to 39, the largest lead the prime minister has held over his rival since February.p

pAustralia will hold a general election on May 21, Morrison said on Sunday, triggering a campaign expected to be fought over costofliving pressures, climate change and questions of trust and competence of the major parties.p

pEven as Morrison‘s personal ratings remained steady, his conservative Liberal National Party coalition could lose 10 seats and the election to Albanese’s centreleft Labor, which leads 5347 on a twoparty preferred basis, the poll said. The government has a oneseat majority in the lower house of parliament.p

pA separate survey done for the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper out on Monday predicted the ruling coalition could lose at least 14 seats including ones deemed safe in resourcerich Queensland and Western Australia states.p

pLabor could return to power for the first time since 2013 should it win some of the key electorates with Morrison kicking off his election campaign from the marginal seat of Gilmore as he prepares to spend six weeks on the road before the vote.p

p“This election … is about a choice,” Morrison said during a media briefing on Monday, and described Albaneses leadership as “untested and unknown.”p

p“It‘s a choice between strong economic management and strong financial management … that contrasts to a Labor opposition who Australians know can’t be trusted to manage money.”p

pAlbanese dismissed Morrisons attacks on his experience as a leader saying he was “ready to govern”.p

p“We saw a government only concerned about cost of living only until the election,” Albanese told Channel Seven.p

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pp Reporting by Renju Jose Editing by Sam Holmesp

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