(Angus Reid Global Scan) – The opposition Australian Labor Party (ALP) is still the most popular political organization in the country, according to a Newspoll published in The Australian. 42 per cent of respondents would vote for the ALP in the next federal election.
(Angus Reid Global Scan) – The opposition Australian Labor Party (ALP) is still the most popular political organization in the country, according to a Newspoll published in The Australian. 42 per cent of respondents would vote for the ALP in the next federal election.
The governing Coalition of Liberals and Nationals is second with 38 per cent, down one point in two weeks. The Australian Greens are third with six per cent. Australia’s preferential voting system—where electors indicate an order of predilection for each contender, and the ballots from smaller parties are re-distributed—gives the ALP an eight-point lead over the Coalition.
In the October 2004 election, prime minister John Howard was rewarded with a fourth term in office, as the Coalition secured 87 seats in the House of Representatives. The ALP—led by Mark Latham—elected 60 lawmakers. In January, Kim Beazley took over as opposition leader. Beazley commanded the ALP from March 1996 to November 2001.
New antiterrorism laws were passed this week in Australia, as the government used its majority in the upper house to force a vote after six hours of debate. The statutes allow for the detention of terrorism suspects for up to fourteen days without charge and give authorities the prerogative to place stringent controls on one’s freedoms of travel and association for up to one year. As well, conviction on a charge of sedition is punishable by up to seven years in prison.
Attorney general Philip Ruddock said on Australian Broadcasting Corporation radio that a “criminal law system that waits until an offence has occurred and deals with the consequences is not seen to be appropriate in the new environment.”
Polling Data
If a federal election to the House of Representatives were held today, which one of the following would you vote for? If “Uncommitted”, to which one of these do you have a leaning?
Dec. 4 | Nov. 20 | Nov. 6 | |
Australian Labor Party | 42% | 42% | 39% |
Coalition (Liberal / National) | 38% | 39% | 41% |
Australian Greens | 6% | 7% | 8% |
Others | 14% | 12% | 12% |
Two-Party Preferred Vote
Dec. 4 | Nov. 20 | Nov. 6 | |
Australian Labor Party | 54% | 54% | 51% |
Coalition (Liberal / National) | 46% | 46% | 49% |
Source: Newspoll / The Australian
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,149 Australian voters, conducted from Dec. 2 to Dec. 4, 2005. Margin of error is 3 per cent.
