(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – The popularity of Kevin Rudd has dipped slightly but the Australian prime minister remains remarkably well-liked, according to a poll by Newspoll published in The Australian. 63 per cent of respondents are satisfied with Rudd’s performance, down four points in a week.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – The popularity of Kevin Rudd has dipped slightly but the Australian prime minister remains remarkably well-liked, according to a poll by Newspoll published in The Australian. 63 per cent of respondents are satisfied with Rudd’s performance, down four points in a week.
On the other hand, 54 per cent of respondents are dissatisfied with the performance of opposition leader Malcolm Turnbull, up six points in a week. 65 per cent of respondents say Rudd is their preferred choice for prime minister, while 19 per cent select Turnbull.
Australia held a federal election in November 2007. Final results gave the Australian Labor Party (ALP) 85 seats in the 150-member House of Representatives. ALP leader 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 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 Oct. 20, Turnbull urged his party’s members to stay united, saying that recent disagreements over the government’s proposed carbon-trading scheme are hurting the Liberals, declaring, "When parties are united, their stocks go up. When they are a rabble, their stocks go down."
Polling Data
Are you satisfied or dissatisfied with the way Kevin Rudd is doing his job as prime minister?
|
|
Oct. 18 |
Oct. 11 |
Oct. 1 |
|
Satisfied |
63% |
67% |
65% |
|
Dissatisfied |
28% |
24% |
24% |
|
Uncommitted |
9% |
9% |
11% |
Are you satisfied or dissatisfied with the way Malcolm Turnbull is doing his job as leader of the opposition?
|
|
Oct. 18 |
Oct. 11 |
Oct. 1 |
|
Satisfied |
32% |
33% |
33% |
|
Dissatisfied |
54% |
48% |
50% |
|
Uncommitted |
14% |
19% |
17% |
Who do you think would make the better prime minister?
|
|
Oct. 18 |
Oct. 11 |
Oct. 1 |
|
Kevin Rudd (ALP) |
65% |
67% |
65% |
|
Malcolm Turnbull (Lib.) |
19% |
18% |
17% |
|
Uncommitted |
16% |
15% |
18% |
Source: Newspoll / The Australian
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,144 Australian voters, conducted from Oct. 16 to Oct. 18, 2009. Margin of error is 3 per cent.
