The latest EMRS poll shows that Tasmania would most likely end up with a hung parliament if an election was held soon.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The margin of support between Labor and the Liberals has narrowed to the closest it has been in seven years, EMRS polling figures released on Thursday revealed.
Of the 1000 people polled last week, 37 per cent said they supported the government and 34 per cent supported Labor.
The Greens’ support was at 16 per cent.
Six per cent said they’d vote for an independent candidate in the state election and five per cent said they’d vote for a candidate from the Jacqui Lambie Network.
This was the second poll conducted since the resignation of Labor Leader Bryan Green and showed that new leader Rebecca White had outshined normally popular Premier Will Hodgman.
Ms White won an approval rating of 48 per cent, a nine-point increase from the May survey, while Mr Hodgman dropped five points to 37 per cent.
Samuel Paske, of EMRS, said this was the first time since May 2009 that Mr Hodgman had received a lower level of support as preferred Premier than the Labor leader of the day.
Political analyst Kevin Bonham said if an election was to be held now, the Liberals would win 11 or 12 seats, Labor would win 10, and the Greens would win three or four seats.
This would mean a hung parliament result.
Dr Bonham said polls tended to favour incumbents in preferred premier surveys.
He said that Ms White is leading by 11 points either an indication of an unpopular government or an unpopular leader.
Government minister Guy Barnett said the polling made it clear that the state had a choice between a majority Liberal government or another hung parliament with Labor and the Greens.
Deputy Leader Michelle O'Byrne said the party was lucky to have a driven leader like Ms White.
"And what she is demonstrating is that you can be a leader and still take on some of those really serious portfolio workloads like health," she said.
"We're campaigning really hard in the community, we've got some strong policies and some fantastic candidates, and we are going to keep continuing to have conversations in the community.
“A vote for Labor is hopefully a vote for majority government.”