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Freshwater retains offshore media partners despite Australian election backlash

The polling firm has media partnerships with UK-based City AM, New Zealand's The Post, and the Australian Financial Review.

John Buckley and Anthony Galloway
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Freshwater, which was founded by Michael Turner in 2022 alongside colleagues from CT Group, has come under intense scrutiny in conservative circles since the Coalition’s historic federal election loss. Shutterstock.

Polling firm Freshwater Strategy is poised to retain at least two of its three major media partners despite criticism of its work in the lead up to the Coalition’s historic 2025 federal election defeat.

The Liberal Party pollster, which has been accused of significantly misreading voter sentiment, provides recurring polling to the London-based business publication, City AM, as well as The Post, a news outlet published by Stuff in New Zealand.

City AM and The Post have both expressed interest in maintaining their partnerships with the pollster, according to people familiar with the matter, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss confidential arrangements. Representatives of both publications declined to comment.

Freshwater also has a deal with Nine Entertainment’s Financial Review. The status of that partnership remains unknown but is not immediately expected to change.