Western Australian Premier Colin Barnett has clawed his way back from record low approval ratings with voters, giving the WA Liberal Party hope for reelection.

The Newspoll conducted for The Australian shows while Mr Barnett is still one of Australia’s least popular leaders, his approval rating with voters have significantly improved in recent months.

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In the July-September period, Mr Barnett’s approval rating trailed opposition leader Mark McGowan, 32 to 47 per cent.

In the October-December Newspoll, the WA premier’s approval rating had grown to 37 per cent, the highest in 12 months.

Mr McGowan is still preferred leader by a narrow margin, 40 to 39.

On a two-party-preferred basis, the Liberal-Nationals and Labor are still tied at 50 per cent for the third consecutive poll.

The Liberal-National government has been plagued by a worsening financial situation since being reelected in 2013, with WA losing its AAA credit rating due to mounting debt.

The government still leads Labor with a primary vote of 42 to 33 per cent.

The Greens maintained a primary vote of 15 per cent.