LABOR LEADS FEDERAL POLL

[lennie]

Attacks over Burke fail to dent ALP: poll
from ABC Online

The Federal Opposition has opened up a huge lead over the Government in an opinion poll published in this morning's Fairfax newspapers.

The AC Nielsen poll has Labor leading 61 to 39 on a two-party preferred basis.

Labor leader Kevin Rudd's rating as preferred prime minister is up five points to 53 per cent, while Prime Minister John Howard's has fallen to 39 per cent.

More than 80 per cent of those polled said they did not care about the Brian Burke affair, despite nearly two thirds saying they believed Mr Rudd had been less than truthful about his meetings with the disgraced former Western Australian premier.

The poll of 1,400 voters was taken from Thursday to Saturday.

It suggests Mr Rudd's personal approval rating has risen three points to 67 per cent, while Mr Howard's has fallen three points to 46 per cent.

Labor's deputy leader, Julia Gillard, says the Government's attempts to attack Mr Rudd over the Burke affair have backfired.

"These polls are really telling the Government it's time to put down the mud bucket and pick up the tool box and start concentrating on the national interest," she said.

"All the Government's done over the last three weeks is throw mud."

[lennie]

Labor's primary vote soars to 20-year high: poll
from ABC Online

A new opinion poll out today shows the Federal Opposition's primary vote has risen to a 20-year high of 52 per cent.

The Newspoll, published in The Australian newspaper, says the Coalition's primary vote in comparison has fallen to 34 per cent - its lowest level in nine years.

The poll puts Labor ahead of the Government by 22 points on a two-party preferred basis, up eight points from the last poll two weeks ago.

Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd is the preferred prime minister with 49 per cent, compared to Prime Minister John Howard's 36 per cent.

The Coalition's primary vote has not been this low since 1998.

Opposition treasury spokesman Wayne Swan has told ABC TV's Lateline he is not surprised by recent poll results.

"I think there is a strong mood for change in the community," he said.

"The vote isn't locked in but there's a strong mood for change - I think voters like what they see with Kevin Rudd and Labor.

"They like the positive alternatives that Kevin Rudd is putting forward."

Mr Swan says voters are tired of the Government.

"They really say to themselves, 'shouldn't these Ministers like Tony Abbott and Peter Costello be doing their jobs instead of out there throwing mud at Kevin Rudd all the time'," he said.

But on The 7.30 Report last night, Prime Minister John Howard played down recent poll results.

"Kevin Rudd's doing well in the polls at the present time, but then there's a long time before the next election," he said.