Poll shows Australia's Labor government on course for heavy defeat

[dipsydoodle]

Source: Reuters

(Reuters) - A bold gamble by Kevin Rudd to reclaim the leadership of Australia and launch national elections appears to be failing, with a poll on Monday showing his centre-left Labor government is headed for a heavy defeat in a September ballot.

A Newspoll in the Australian newspaper showed opposition leader Tony Abbott's conservative coalition was ahead of Rudd's Labor Party by 54 percent to 46 at the midpoint of the five-week campaign, a two-point increase in a fortnight.

Rudd, a former diplomat, ousted Julia Gillard as leader in June in a bold party-room coup to revive the government's public support following a prolonged poll slump under Gillard.

Read more: http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/08/19/uk-australia-politics-idUKBRE97I01V20130819

[Theyletmeeatcake2]

1. It doesn't look good

But just remember Newspoll is owned by Rupert Murdoch so I wouldn't overly trust them to be favouring the left and they do have a margin of error....let's hope they're completely wrong hey!!!!:hi

[dipsydoodle]

2. Regardless of ownership

I guess there are other polls and as a general rule the results of polls tend to match more or less - that's what happens in the UK anyway.

[MrModerate]

3. Murdoch notwithstanding, Rudd and Labor . . .

Are going down hard.

Which will give Aussies a taste of government under the borderline psychopath Abbot, which I suspect they're not going to like very much.

[Swagman]

4. Newspoll (Murdoch)is dodgy

they do not phone mobile phones and never poll the under 40.

Morgan Poll is always more reliable and honest : L-NP 51% cf. ALP 49%
46% of electors say Kevin Rudd is the ‘Better PM’, just 3% ahead of Tony Abbott at 43%

Rudd and Labor will win.

[dipsydoodle]

5. Thanks - tha's bang up to date that one.

http://www.roymorgan.com/morganpoll

[devils chaplain]

6. Why is this happening? n/t

[iandhr]

7. Maybe its

Voting out the government for the sake of voting out the government.

Thats how labor got in power.

And remember Australian conservatives are different then Republicans.

John Howard was a major supporter of gun control. You won't hear and Aussie con say "legitimate rape" "The earth is 6,000 years old or "global warming is a hoax"

[Jack Rabbit]

9. I thought Howard is a global warming "skeptic"

. . . as well as a believer in Iraq's possession of a biochemical arsenal. Funny how a lot of people who think global warming is a hoax also thought that claims of Saddam's WMDs wasn't.

[Theyletmeeatcake2]

10. The opposition leader Mr.Abbott

Has said "Global warming is crap",as a health minister in the previous Howard government made it difficult to access a particular abortion drug ,had supported Workchoices (a harsh anti-union and anti-worker employment legislation),has said"he'll give his last breath to repeal the super profits tax for the mining companys"currently looting Australia,has involved the current labor government in a race to the bottom in dealing with asylum seekers arriving by boat from Indonesia,is supported by the tobacco and oil and mining industries,is a Murdoch flunkie,is hand in hand with the IPA(a right wing extremist group that is also anti global warming,anti union,pro deregulation,libertarian and to top it off was founded by Rupert's old man back in the 50's). I could go on and on.....they might be a little less extreme then rethugs but if it "smells like a duck,quacks like a duck,walks like a duck you can be pretty sure it is a duck".Also Howard an ever opportunistic populist only brought in the gun control after an insane gunman killed 35 people in Port Arthur in 1996. Just a bit of info for people who are interested in Aussie politics... (Sorry if it was a bit long winded but Mr.Abbott has as they say "a lot of form!&quot