Australia is on track for a minority government in the looming election despite Anthony Albanese widening the gap over Peter Dutton as preferred prime minister, a new poll today shows.

Both major parties recorded a slight increase in the primary vote as the Coalition leads Labor 39 per cent to 32 per cent, results of the Newspoll found.

Support for the Greens and One Nation was unchanged.

On the two-party-preferred basis, the Coalition on 51 per cent was leading Labor (49 per cent), but points to neither having enough MPs to form majority government.

Albanese also increased his lead ahead of Dutton as the country’s preferred leader, 47 per cent to 38 per cent.

The poll was released after the prime minister visited south-east Queensland during the ex-cyclone Alfred flood emergency, and the convincing reelection of a Labor government in the Western Australia election last Saturday.

Another boost for Labor came when voters in the survey were asked if they were confident about a Dutton-led Coalition government, with 55 per cent saying no compared with 45 per cent replying yes.

The flooding emergency forced Albanese to rule out calling an election on the past weekend, and therefore denied Labor its preferred voting date of April 12.

Instead Aussies will head to the polls in May.

Western Australia is set to play an important role in deciding the next federal government – Labor’s gains there in 2022 propelled it into a majority government.

Following Premier Roger Cook’s victory, Albanese will have a popular local premier to stand beside once he calls the federal election.

But the May poll is also a double-edged sword for Labor.

There will now be a March 25 federal budget. and a string of positive developments for the Albanese government – the first interest rate cut of the term, best GDP figures in two years, and now the WA election result – will not be at the front of voters’ minds when they cast their ballot.