(10/13/07) -

Australia’s Opposition ALP Maintains Solid Lead

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – The Australian Labor Party (ALP) has kept its support base practically untouched over the past two months, according to a poll by Roy Morgan International. 50 per cent of respondents would vote for the country’s main opposition party in the next election to the House of Representatives, down one point since late August.

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – The Australian Labor Party (ALP) has kept its support base practically untouched over the past two months, according to a poll by Roy Morgan International. 50 per cent of respondents would vote for the country’s main opposition party in the next election to the House of Representatives, down one point since late August.

The governing Coalition of Liberals and Nationals is second with 36 per cent, followed by the Australian Greens with 6.5 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 18-point lead over the Coalition.

In the October 2004 election, Australian 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 December 2006, foreign affairs spokesman Kevin Rudd became the new leader of the ALP, defeating Kim Beazley in an internal caucus ballot.

On Oct. 11, Howard shifted from his previous policy of denying Australia’s Aborigines a separate status in the country, saying he would call a referendum "to formally recognize indigenous Australians in our Constitution—their history as the first inhabitants of our country, their unique heritage of culture and languages, and their special, though not separate place within a reconciled, indivisible nation."

Rudd and ALP indigenous affairs spokeswoman Jenny Macklin said in a joint statement they would like to see details of Howard’s plan. Macklin added: "If we’re to achieve this constitutional change, it will take strong bipartisan leadership and that’s what we’re offering."

There is growing speculation that Australia’s legislative election will take place on Nov. 24.

Polling Data

What party would you vote for in the next election to the House of Representatives?

Two-Party Preferred Vote

Source: Roy Morgan International
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 611 Australian voters, conducted from Oct. 4 to Oct. 6, 2007. No margin of error was provided.