Guardian Essential poll: majority say Scott Morrison should resign over secret ministries

Most voters think Scott Morrison should resign from parliament over his decision to secretly appoint himself to five additional portfolios while prime minister, according to the latest Guardian Essential poll, which also finds trust in government in steady decline.

As the former prime minister continues to defend his decision to take on the additional portfolios without informing his colleagues or the public, the survey of 1,070 people finds that just over half (51%) say he should resign from parliament, including a third of Coalition voters who believe Morrison should go.

Most people (58%) also believe he should appear at an inquiry into the issue which is being led by the former high court justice Virginia Bell. Morrison has indicated he may be prepared to cooperate, but has also said the inquiry should look more broadly into the management of the pandemic.

Trust in federal parliament is in steady decline, with the latest result down nine percentage points since August 2020, when 55% expressed trust in the government as the country grappled with the early stages of the pandemic.

Scientific bodies such as the CSIRO had the highest trust ranking of 72%, with males and voters over the age of 55 expressing the most confidence, and females and young people the lowest confidence.

State and federal health authorities, and police, courts and the justice system also ranked well, with 62% of people having trust in these organisations, about on par with the 61% of people who trust universities.

The commonwealth public service has the trust of about half of those surveyed (53%) while state and territory parliaments fared slightly worse at 48%, which is also down from the 60% recorded in 2020.

Amid the grim findings, there is strong support for the establishment of a new independent federal anti-corruption body with 76% expressing support and just 15% against, with support strongest among Labor voters and those over the age of 55.

It also shows moderate support (35%) for the commission to be able to start an investigation before establishing that a crime has likely been committed.

However, Coalition voters are less likely to support a stronger model, with backing for the various powers about 10 percentage points less than for Labor, Green and independent voters.

The attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, has been consulting on the new Nacc, with the legislation to be tabled next week after being signed off by the Labor caucus on Tuesday.

His approval ratings are higher among men at 64% compared with 55% of women, with 89% of Labor voters also giving the new prime minister the tick of approval.

Voter support is highest in WA (62% approval) and NSW (61%), while it is lowest in Queensland where his approval is still at 56%, and where 30% disapprove of the job he is doing.