Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has extended his lead as the country's most preferred leader, a poll showed on Monday, boosted by his government's coronavirus wage subsidy scheme and efforts to contain the spread of the pandemic.
FILE PHOTO: Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison speaks during a joint press conference held with New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern at Admiralty House in Sydney, Australia, February 28, 2020. REUTERS/Loren Elliott
A Newspoll conducted for The Australian newspaper showed Morrison enjoyed the best approval rating over an opposition leader in more than five years. Morrison jettisoned his conservative government’s aversion to deficits to pledge spending worth about A$100 billion to employers to keep staff they might otherwise have let go.
With just over 21,400 infections and 314 deaths from the virus, Australia has fared better than many other developed nations, helped by strict lockdowns that are expected to push unemployment up towards 10%.
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