The Liberal party could be at risk of losing Malcolm Turnbull’s seat of Wentworth for the first time in 60 years at an upcoming by-election, according to new polling.
The primary vote for the Liberals has plummeted to 39 per cent, down from the 62 per cent Mr Turnbull won at the last election.
The ReachTEL poll was commissioned by the progressive Australia Institute thinktank and surveyed 886 voters in Wentworth on Monday night.
While so-called seat polls can be less reliable than national polling, the result suggests voters in the affluent Sydney seat feel inclined to punish the Liberals for rolling Mr Turnbull in a recent leadership ballot.
It means whoever replaces Mr Turnbull as the Liberal pick will face stiff competition from independent candidates like Kerryn Phelps, a Sydney city councillor and former president of the Australian Medical Association.
Labor candidate Tim Murray is polling around 20 per cent while the combined independents are polling around 22 per cent.
The Australia Institute’s executive director Ben Oquist said an independent was more likely to take the seat, but Labor preferences would be vital.
“Malcolm Turnbull had a huge personal vote and is enormously popular in the electorate. These figures show the new Liberal candidate faces a major challenge to retain the seat for the government,” Mr Oquist said.
