(05/02/09) -

Two-Thirds of Australians Happy with Rudd

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Kevin Rudd maintains a high approval rating in Australia, according to a poll by Newspoll published in The Australian. 66 per cent of respondents are satisfied with the way the prime minister is doing his job.

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Kevin Rudd maintains a high approval rating in Australia, according to a poll by Newspoll published in The Australian. 66 per cent of respondents are satisfied with the way the prime minister is doing his job.

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. In September 2008, former environment minister Malcolm Turnbull became the new Liberal leader. 37 per cent of respondents are satisfied with Turnbull’s performance.

In the category of preferred prime minister, Rudd is ahead with 67 per cent. Turnbull is a distant second with 19 per cent.

On Apr. 28, former treasurer Peter Costello praised Turnbull’s leadership, saying, "I wish him well. I hope that he can win an election. (…) I think he has every opportunity to go to the next election and to win it. And he certainly has my support to do so."

Polling Data

Are you satisfied or dissatisfied with the way Kevin Rudd is doing his job as prime minister?

Are you satisfied or dissatisfied with the way Malcolm Turnbull is doing his job as leader of the opposition?

Who do you think would make the better prime minister?

Source: Newspoll / The Australian
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,142 Australian voters, conducted from Apr. 17 to Apr. 19, 2009. Margin of error is 3 per cent.