CANBERRA, March 10 (Xinhua) -- About one in four voters cannot recognize Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison just two months out from the general election.
A poll released by progressive think tank the Australia Institute on Sunday revealed that 77 percent of respondents could name Morrison when shown a photo of the prime minister and only 28 percent knew Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack.
However, Morrison's recognition among his constituents has climbed significantly from 54 percent when he first took power in August 2018.
Julie Bishop, who has announced her retirement from politics, is the most recognizable member of the governing Liberal-National party coalition (LNP) with 82 percent of more than 1,500 respondents identifying the former foreign minister.
Defence Minister Christopher Pyne, who will join Bishop in quitting at May's general election, was also in the LNP's top five most famous faces.
Ben Oquist, executive director of the Australia Institute, said that losing familiar faces was unquestionably a blow for the LNP which, according to opinion polls, trails the Australian Labor Party (ALP).
"They are formidable political assets and seasoned media performers, as evidenced by their consistently high recognition among the general public," he told News Corp Australia.
Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton, who was Morrison's rival for leadership of the party in the August 2018 ballot, was recognized by 68 percent of voters.
