The Coalition government continues to trail Labor 47 to 53 on a two-party preferred basis for the sixth straight Newspoll.

The poll of more than 1600 voters published in The Australian on Monday shows Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull continues to lead opposition leader Bill Shorten as preferred prime minister 46 to 31 per cent.

But another poll shows voters dislike both leaders, describing Mr Turnbull as a “disappointment”.

The focus groups in western Sydney and Melbourne, conducted by Ipsos for Fairfax media, show some voters believe Tony Abbott achieved more than his successor, even if they do see him as a wrecker.

“If he just had the guts, the political will,” one young Melbourne voter wrote.

The undecided voters from marginal electorates did not see Mr Shorten as an attractive alternative.

Newspoll showed Labor’s primary vote fell slightly, from 37 to 36 per cent, while the coalition’s was steady at 36 per cent.

The number of voters who preferred Mr Turnbull as leader grew from 43 to 46 per cent while support for Mr Shorten dropped slightly from 32 to 31 per cent.

In terms of net satisfaction, Mr Turnbull’s rating improved from negative 20 to negative 12 points, while Mr Shorten’s grew from negative 20 to negative 15.

This has come after Labor vowed, if elected, to crack down on the use of family trusts by wealthy Australians to avoid paying tax, and on the eve of the Coalition’s special party room meeting on same-sex marriage on Monday.

A group of Liberal MPs will pitch their private members’ bill as protecting religious freedoms in the hope of satisfying concerns by conservative colleagues about a free vote on the issue.

The latest Newspoll also showed the Greens’ increased their primary vote from nine to 11 per cent, while support for One Nation slipped from nine to eight per cent.

– AAP