Australian PM's approval rating slips as parliament resumes

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull speaks during a media conference announcing new anti-terrorism laws in Sydney, Australia, July 25, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

CANBERRA - Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's voter popularity has fallen to a new low on Tuesday, while support for his Liberal National Party (LNP) coalition has also dropped since the July 2 election which Turnbull won narrowly.

The Newspoll, which surveyed more than 1,600 Australian voters, coincides with the resumption of the parliament, in which the 45th government is set to be sworn in later on Tuesday.

Turnbull's problems begin at the top; the Newspoll revealed the PM's satisfaction level had fallen to 34 percent - the lowest since he ousted former Prime Minister Tony Abbott from the top job in September last year. His dissatisfaction rating has soared to 52 percent, up 5 points from the July 2 election.

For the first time since taking over the position, Turnbull's net satisfaction rating had fallen below that of Opposition Leader Bill Shorten. Turnbull's net satisfaction rating came in at -18 points, 4 below Shorten's -14 points (36 percent satisfaction and 50 percent dissatisfaction).

As was the case prior to the election, the two-party preferred vote has the LNP government and the opposition Labor Party deadlocked at 50 percent apiece.

Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce shrugged off questions regarding the poll results, saying it was impossible to read too much into them considering the parliament hadn't even been sworn in when the poll was taken.

"You will drive yourself crazy if you start worrying about polls at the start of the political term," Joyce told the Nine Network on Tuesday.

The parliament resumes on Tuesday, with the government set to continue its push for a same-sex marriage plebiscite, budget savings reform and debate the future of the racial discrimination act.