Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce couldn't give two hoots whether people like him or not.
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Media reports this week showed support for Coalition leaders had plummeted, as Prime Minister Scott Morrison returned a net performance rating of one per cent and Mr Joyce a remarkable net likeability rating of minus 29 per cent.
It doesn't seem to have phased the Nationals leader, who said he doesn't go out of his way to be liked in the inner suburbs of Melbourne or Sydney.
"In life and politics you can be the politician of blue sunny days and frolicking puppies, everybody will think you're a really nice person and the history books will write you down as completely ineffective," he said.
"I can show you other areas and other pollings where I'm a rockstar, but unsurprisingly they are in regional areas away from Sydney's CBD.
"If I go and get 1600 people from regional NSW and Queensland you would think I walked on water, and that is not correct."
The results were part of a Resolve Political Monitor survey of 1607 eligible voters conducted by Resolve Strategic on behalf of the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.
It showed a decline in the primary vote for Labor and the Coalition, with the left falling from 36 to 35 per cent and the right from 40 to 38 per cent.
Mr Joyce said he knows he hasn't resonated with people in metropolitan centres and frankly, he doesn't care.
"I am there to represent regional people and of course because I parochially represent regional people, other people are entitled to their opinions and God bless them," he said.
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"It doesn't worry me whether people like me or not, it worries me whether I'm doing a good job or not.
"If I get the right sample from the right areas I can give you the right view on any person."
The survey showed Mr Morrison still held the lead as the nation's preferred prime minister.
He's the favourite for 45 per cent of voters, compared to opposition leader Anthony Albanese's 24 per cent.
About 31 per cent were undecided.
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Madeline Link
Madeline Link is a journalist at the Newcastle Herald, with a focus on Lake Macquarie City Council. To keep up with my stories, follow my Twitter @madeline_link, for tips email madeline.link@newcastleherald.com.au.
Madeline Link is a journalist at the Newcastle Herald, with a focus on Lake Macquarie City Council. To keep up with my stories, follow my Twitter @madeline_link, for tips email madeline.link@newcastleherald.com.au.
