Since taking over as Australia's Prime Minister last year, Mr Scott Morrison and his ruling coalition have consistently lagged in opinion surveys, and a loss at the upcoming general election seemed inevitable.

But his prospects suddenly looked brighter yesterday, as a poll by market research firm Ipsos shows the Liberal-National coalition trailing the opposition Labor by just 49 per cent to 51 per cent - its strongest result since Mr Morrison replaced Mr Malcolm Turnbull as leader last August. When the survey was last done, in December, Labor was ahead by 54 per cent, to 46 per cent.

The reason for Mr Morrison's bounce seemed clear: The survey was conducted after the coalition launched a dramatic scare campaign on border protection, claiming that the Labor Party was soft on border security and would spark a wave of migrants seeking to travel to Australia by boat, setting out mainly from Indonesia.

The campaign came amid a fresh debate about border protection, an issue that tends to politically favour the coalition.

Last week, Mr Morrison seized on an opportunity to attack Labor after its leader Bill Shorten backed a measure to allow for the medical evacuation to Australia of asylum seekers held on Manus Island in Papua New Guinea and Nauru. Australia turns back asylum seeker boats, where it is safe to do so, and otherwise transfers any migrants who are stopped at sea to the two islands, under a harsh policy that Mr Morrison, as immigration minister from 2013 to 2014, helped to introduce.

Labor's support for the medical evacuations, which was also backed by several independent MPs, led to an embarrassing defeat for Mr Morrison in a vote in the House of Representatives. This was the first time a sitting government lost a vote in the chamber in almost 80 years.

But Mr Morrison quickly turned this to his advantage, claiming the measure would prompt people smugglers to resume efforts to bring asylum seekers to Australia.

"They say they'll still turn boats back," Mr Morrison told 2GB Radio yesterday. "Really?... They've got no idea what's involved."

Mr Shorten, however, insisted that he remained committed to Australia's strong border policies, accusing Mr Morrison of resorting to "slogans and fear".

The latest debate is likely to prove politically favourable to the coalition, which has benefited at previous elections where refugee arrivals had been an issue.

Not surprisingly, the coalition is doing all it can to raise fears of a sudden new influx of asylum seekers, even claiming that the medical evacuation measure will lead to criminals such as rapists being brought to Australia. In reality, the measure allows the immigration minister to veto treatment for serious criminals or those who pose a security threat to the country.

But the coalition's tactic appears to be working.

Analysts said the survey yesterday would give a much-needed confidence boost to the coalition, which has been demoralised by the consistent run of dismal results in opinion polls ahead of the next election, due to be held in May.

"The poll results certainly ensure the coalition will be even more determined to maintain its vehement attack on Labor over boat people," wrote political commentator Jennifer Hewett in The Australian Financial Review.

Any boatload of asylum seekers that arrives in Australia ahead of the next election - regardless of their reasons for fleeing - will provide useful political ammunition for the coalition.