Victorian Opposition Leader John Pesutto says Jacinta Allan and her government "should be nervous" after he overtook her as preferred premier for the first time.
A Resolve Political Monitor poll, published by The Age on Wednesday, showed 30 per cent of voters thought the state Liberal leader was the best person to run Victoria.
It put him one point ahead of Ms Allan, who has bested Mr Pesutto in the preferred premier standings since succeeding Daniel Andrews in September 2023.
Her lead has narrowed over the past 12 months, falling from 38 per cent to Mr Pesutto's 19 per cent in October 2023 to 30 per cent to Mr Pesutto's 29 per cent in September.
The primary vote of Labor (28 per cent) and the coalition (38 per cent) edged one per cent higher, while the Greens' fell by one point to 13 per cent.
No two-party-preferred result was provided, but the coalition led Labor 51-49 in a survey by RedBridge in October.
The latest poll comes as Mr Pesutto awaits the verdict of his defamation trial with ousted MP Moira Deeming.
The three-week trial aired dirty internal laundry and sparked a backroom push to unseat him as leader that ultimately did not materialise.
Mr Pesutto's leadership is expected to hinge on the outcome of the case, with the verdict due before the end of 2024.
He pointed out it was two years until the next state election but suggested the Labor government had become complacent.
"The Allan Labor government should be nervous and concerned that it's not delivering for the Victorian people," Mr Pesutto told reporters.
Ms Allan, who has unveiled a series of housing policies in recent weeks, dismissed the significance of her floundering popularity.
She declared she was focused on people doing it tough, particularly young people unable to afford to buy a house or those struggling with rising home loan repayments.
"Successive interest rate rises are hurting everyone," the premier said.
A conga line of Labor frontbenchers also attempted to play down the polling at state parliament.
Environment Minister Steve Dimopoulos deflected attention to Mr Pesutto's defamation trial, Transport Infrastructure Minister Danny Pearson said he had no concerns and Energy Minister Lily D'Amborio said the premier was doing a "stunning job".
Labor has been in power in Victoria for almost 10 years and is aiming to become the state's first fourth-term government since the 1960s.
The coalition would need to pick up at least 17 extra seats to form majority government when Victorians next head to the polls in November 2026.
