(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd maintains a high level of public support, according to a poll by Newspoll published in The Australian. 68 per cent of respondents are satisfied with Rudd’s performance, down three points since late April.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd maintains a high level of public support, according to a poll by Newspoll published in The Australian. 68 per cent of respondents are satisfied with Rudd’s performance, down three points since late April.
Australia held a federal election in November 2007. Final results gave Rudd’s Australian Labor Party (ALP) 85 seats in the 150-member House of Representatives. Rudd was officially sworn in as prime minister in December, bringing an end to the 11-year tenure of Liberal leader John Howard as head of Australia’s government.
Howard failed to retain his seat in the Bennelong constituency and stepped down as Liberal leader. Brendan Nelson—a former defence minister—defeated former environment minister Malcolm Turnbull in an internal leadership ballot by just three votes. 36 per cent of respondents are satisfied with Nelson’s performance, down two points in two weeks.
In the preferred prime minister category, 72 per cent of respondents choose Rudd, while nine per cent pick Nelson as head of government.
On May 9, Rudd vowed to take action and prevent the military regime in Myanmar—where a cyclone has killed an estimated 100,000 residents—from blocking international aid to victims. Rudd declared: "The Burmese regime is behaving appallingly. We will deal with all of our global and regional partners to maximize the leverage on the Burmese because the people of Burma don’t deserve this."
Polling Data
Are you satisfied or dissatisfied with the way Kevin Rudd is doing his job as prime minister?
|
May 4 |
Apr. 20 |
Apr. 6 |
|
|
Satisfied |
68% |
71% |
69% |
|
Dissatisfied |
17% |
15% |
13% |
|
Uncommitted |
15% |
14% |
18% |
Are you satisfied or dissatisfied with the way Brendan Nelson is doing his job as leader of the opposition?
|
May 4 |
Apr. 20 |
Apr. 6 |
|
|
Satisfied |
36% |
38% |
36% |
|
Dissatisfied |
40% |
36% |
38% |
|
Uncommitted |
24% |
26% |
26% |
Who do you think would make the better prime minister?
|
May 4 |
Apr. 20 |
Apr. 6 |
|
|
Kevin Rudd (ALP) |
72% |
71% |
73% |
|
Brendan Nelson (Lib.) |
9% |
10% |
9% |
|
Uncommitted |
19% |
19% |
18% |
Source: Newspoll / The Australian
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,131 Australian voters, conducted from May 2 to May 4, 2008. Margin of error is 3 per cent.
