Horror Newspoll exposes Anthony Albanese as the ‘weakest’ prime minister in decades – and the problem is only getting worse after yet another Labor own goal

Anthony Albanese is regarded by voters as the the nation’s ‘weakest’ prime minister in decades as popularity of rival Peter Dutton gains momentum with the federal election looming.

The latest Newspoll conducted for the The Australian revealed a growing number of  voters believe Mr Albanese lacks crucial leadership traits.

Just 44 per cent of the 1258 voters polled believed the Prime Minister is a ‘strong and decisive leader’ – a five point slump since previous surveys.

It’s also the lowest rating for a sitting prime minister since Newspoll began asking voters following Kevin Rudd’s election win in 2007.

Mr Dutton, on the other hand, was considered decisive by a steady 60 per cent of voters surveyed.

It’s the highest percentage for an federal Opposition Leader since Tony Abbott and Malcolm Turnbull more than a decade ago.

To make matters worse for the Labor government, most of the polling was conducted before Mr Albanese copped a wave of criticism over a two day delay in condemning the firebombing of Melbourne’s Adass Israel Synagogue.

The Jewish place of worship was set alight early Friday morning in what Victoria Police believe to have been a ‘targeted incident’ but Mr Albanese stalled on labelling the attack as an act of terrorism until Sunday morning – sparking outrage among Australia’s Jewish community.

‘My personal opinion is yes (it is terrorism), but there is a technical process,’ he said on Sunday morning.

‘…But if you want my personal view quite clearly, terrorism is something that is aimed at creating fear in the community and the atrocities that occurred at the synagogue in Melbourne clearly were designed to create fear in the community.’

Mr Dutton took aim at the Mr Albanese before his admission on Sunday, blasting the delay on Sky News.

‘This is an act of terrorism, pure and simple, and I think the Prime Minister’s deliberate decision to seek political advantage over the course of the last 12 months on this issue and play to a domestic audience of Green voters, I think, has been deplorable and one of the worst things I’ve ever seen in public life,’ the Liberal Party leader said.

Jewish leaders also joined calls for Mr Albanese to take more action against anti-Semitism in the wake of the attack.

Opposition leader Peter Dutton remains strong in the eyes of voters with 60 per cent of voters surveyed labelling him ‘decisive’

Mr Albanese’s ‘decisiveness’ rating is tipped to continue to slide in future Newspolls in the coming months.

Almost half (47 per cent) of respondents agreed the PM is ‘arrogant’ while 48 don’t believe he was ‘in touch with voters’.

However, more than half (55 per cent) agreed Mr Albanese was ‘likeable’, while  68 per cent said he was ‘experienced’.

Mr Dutton still had him beaten, with 70 per cent of voters agreeing he, too, was experienced but was regarded as more arrogant as the Prime Minister.

Only 56 per cent of voters believed Mr Albanese had a ‘vision’ for the nation, compared to 61 per cent for Mr Dutton.

When asked of who would make a better Prime Minister, Mr Albanese remains unchanged at 45 per cent while Mr Dutton dropped by three points to 38 per cent. Another 17 per cent remain decided on who they will vote for at the polling booth.

On a two party preferred basis, the Coalition’s primary vote remains ahead, despite one cent drop to 39 per cent while Labor remains steady at 33 per cent.

It comes after insiders tipped Labor to suffer at the next election if Mr Albanese remains at the helm.

Some insider have suggested the party would be better placed under the leadership of current Treasurer Jim Chalmers. 

Another poll last week suggested the Albanese government would not retain its majority in the House of Representatives with the Coalition poised to pinch nine seats in the next election.

The Prime Minister’s maiden term would be the first Labor Government to turnover in three years since James Scullin took the party to a shattering defeat during the Great Depression.

The shock prediction came after almost 5000 voters were surveyed by Accent Research and the RedBridge Group, which then modelled what the federal parliament make-up will likely to look like after the next election.

The polling  shows that NSW will be a crucial election battleground, with five seats likely to change hands and another seven teetering in the same direction.