CANBERRA, Sept. 24 (Xinhua) -- Australia's governing Liberal-National Party (LNP) has made up ground on the opposition Australian Labor Party (ALP) with a general election on the horizon.
The latest Newspoll, Australia's most respected opinion poll, revealed that the LNP trailed the ALP 54-46 on a two-party preferred basis compared to 56-44 earlier in September.
It marks the best result for the government since Scott Morrison replaced Malcolm Turnbull as prime minister in August.
Morrison's personal approval rating grew significantly with 45 percent of voters picking him as their preferred prime minister over ALP leader Bill Shorten.
When asked who they believed to be the more authentic leader, 46 percent chose Morrison compared to 31 percent for Shorten.
The prime minister's net approval rating of +5 was the best result for a prime minister since February 2016. By comparison, Shorten's net approval rating was negative 22 percent.
Despite the uptick for the LNP, the government is still facing an uphill battle to win the upcoming general election.
According to Newspoll, the ALP would benefit from a 4.4 percent swing in the upcoming election, winning an additional 20 seats in the House of Representatives and forming the government with a clear majority.
However, the opposition's primary vote rate tumbled from a 10-year high 42 percent in the immediate aftermath of Turnbull's downfall to 39 percent on Monday.
The poll took place during a fortnight where Morrison was praised for a swift response to the strawberry contamination crisis that swept Australia and for announcing a royal commission into Australia's aged care sector.
