National

Labor ratings hit new low despite leadership change

By Samantha Lock and Allanah Sciberras

Sep 28, 2026

Jacinta Allan and Ben Carroll — Polling shows Premier Ben Carroll has yet to turn around the Victorian Labour government's fortunes. -AAP GRAPHICS

Changing leaders has failed to improve public perception of Labor in one state, as new polling reveals the party's once-positive performance rating has fallen to a record low.

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Victorian Labor enjoyed strong positive sentiment about its performance in the run-up to the 2022 state election.

But as a state election looms in November, Premier Ben Carroll's party faces an electorate in which three out of five Victorians rate the government's performance as poor.

Three quarters of voters now feel Victoria has lost its direction and is on the wrong track, according to the latest Mood of the Nation report released by public affairs and strategic communications consultancy SEC Newgate.

Only 19 per cent of Victorians rate the state government's performance as good, very good or excellent, while 60 per cent rate it poor or very poor.Â

That compares with a 48 per cent positive rating at the 2022 election.

The issues voters care most about have also shifted significantly since the last election.

In 2022, health care and cost of living were among their biggest concerns, but reducing crime is now voters' top concern.

The polling also shows voters placing greater weight on basic service delivery and essential public services than on major new policy initiatives.

A total of 65 per cent regard repairing roads and potholes more quickly as a high priority, with the figure climbing to 81 per cent in regional Victoria.

SEC Newgate partner Nick Maher said the data showed Victoria's government was seen as the worst-performing in the country, with three in five people saying it was doing a poor or very poor job.

Mr Carroll has been on the front foot ahead of the election since taking over from Jacinta Allan as premier in late July, calling a royal commission into Victoria's scandal-plagued construction sector.

But polling suggests it has not been enough.

"There's been a collapse of confidence in the direction Victoria is heading since the last state election," Mr Maher said.

"In November 2022, 51 per cent of Victorians said the state was heading in the right direction. It's now dropped to 26 per cent - another record low.

"Our research shows how far behind Ben Carroll is coming into this campaign, but he has a slight lead over the Liberals when it comes to addressing cost of living and improving healthcare services."

Mr Maher said public confidence in the then Andrews government four years ago stood at 52 per cent.

"That's now collapsed to 19 per cent, the lowest ever SEC Newgate's research has recorded," he said.

The research, supplied to AAP on Monday, shows one in three Victorians rate crime as a top issue, higher than in any other state.

"Significantly, the Liberals are leading in this category, 27 per cent to 16 per cent over Labor, with One Nation trailing at 19 per cent," Mr Maher said.