CANBERRA, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- The Australian government has made up ground on the opposition Australian Labor Party (ALP), according to an opinion poll published on Sunday night.
The Ipsos poll showed that the incumbent Liberal-National party coalition (LNP) trails the ALP 49-51 on a two-party-preferred basis, a significant shift from the 46-54 recorded by the same poll in December.
It came as the two parties engage in a raging debate over the nation's border protection policies after the ALP teamed up with independent members of parliament (MP) to pass the medical evacuation bill earlier in February.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Monday appealed to migrant communities for their votes, writing an opinion piece that was published in Mandarin, Korean and Arabic community newspapers.
According to the Ipsos poll, Morrison was preferred by voters as prime minister over ALP leader Bill Shorten by a margin of 48 to 38 percent.
The medical evacuation bill, which represented the first time an Australian government has lost a vote on the floor of the lower house of Australian Parliament since 1941, will see an increased number of asylum seekers being held in offshore detention transferred to Australia for medical care.
The government has argued the bill will undermine Australia's strict border protection policies and pave the way for an influx of refugees trying to come to the nation by boat.
