(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Many Australian voters remain satisfied with the governing party, according to a poll by Roy Morgan International. 51.5 per cent of respondents would vote for the Australian Labor Party (ALP) in the next legislative election.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Many Australian voters remain satisfied with the governing party, according to a poll by Roy Morgan International. 51.5 per cent of respondents would vote for the Australian Labor Party (ALP) in the next legislative election.
The Coalition of Liberals and Nationals is second with 35 per cent, followed by the Australian Greens with eight per cent, and Family First with 1.5 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 a 22-point lead over the Coalition.
Australia held a federal election in November 2007. Final results gave the ALP 85 seats in the 150-member House of Representatives. ALP leader Kevin 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. In September 2008, Turnbull won a new internal leadership race, edging Nelson by four votes.
On Jan. 21, Rudd discussed the global financial crisis, saying, "The government stands ready to take whatever further action is necessary to stabilize financial markets and help reopen the private lines of government to business to get blood flowing through the arteries of the economy. (…) The impact of this crisis will be huge. When markets fail, governments must act."
Polling Data
If a federal election for the House of Representatives were being held today, which party would receive your first preference?
|
Jan. 11 |
Dec. 21 |
Dec. 7 |
|
|
Australian Labor Party |
51.5% |
52.5% |
48.5% |
|
Coalition (Liberal / National) |
35% |
35.5% |
34.5% |
|
Australian Greens |
8% |
6% |
10.5% |
|
Family First |
1.5% |
1.5% |
2% |
|
Others |
4% |
4.5% |
4.5% |
Two-Party Preferred Vote
|
Jan. 11 |
Dec. 21 |
Dec. 7 |
|
|
Australian Labor Party |
61% |
61% |
59.5% |
|
Coalition (Liberal / National) |
39% |
39% |
40.5% |
Source: Roy Morgan International
Methodology: Face-to-face interviews with 1,781 Australian voters, conducted on Jan. 3, Jan. 4, Jan. 10 and Jan. 11, 2009. No margin of error was provided.
