(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Public support for Kevin Rudd has remained relatively stable in Australia, according to a poll by Newspoll published in The Australian. 50 per cent of respondents are satisfied with the prime minister’s performance.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Public support for Kevin Rudd has remained relatively stable in Australia, according to a poll by Newspoll published in The Australian. 50 per cent of respondents are satisfied with the prime minister’s performance.
Satisfaction with opposition leader Tony Abbott stands at 46 per cent, up two points since late March. 56 per cent of respondents say Rudd would make the better prime minister among the two, while 29 per cent pick Abbott.
Australia held a federal election in November 2007. Final results gave the 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. Since their electoral defeat in 2007, the Liberals have had three different leaders: former defence minister Brendan Nelson, former environment minister Malcolm Turnbull, and former health minister Abbott, who defeated Turnbull in an internal leadership ballot by just one vote in December 2009.
Earlier this month, Rudd established new guidelines to expedite access to health care services, saying, "This is the first time any government has delivered a guarantee that patients will receive surgery within a specific time and proposed such stringent targets to improve our elective surgery performance."
Polling Data
Are you satisfied or dissatisfied with the way Kevin Rudd is doing his job as prime minister?
|
Apr. 18
|
Mar. 28
|
Mar. 14
|
|
|
Satisfied
|
50%
|
51%
|
48%
|
|
Dissatisfied
|
41%
|
39%
|
41%
|
|
Uncommitted
|
9%
|
10%
|
11%
|
Are you satisfied or dissatisfied with the way Tony Abbott is doing his job as leader of the opposition?
|
Apr. 18
|
Mar. 28
|
Mar. 14
|
|
|
Satisfied
|
46%
|
44%
|
47%
|
|
Dissatisfied
|
40%
|
43%
|
38%
|
|
Uncommitted
|
14%
|
13%
|
15%
|
Who do you think would make the better prime minister?
|
Apr. 18
|
Mar. 28
|
Mar. 14
|
|
|
Kevin Rudd (ALP)
|
56%
|
59%
|
55%
|
|
Tony Abbott (Lib.)
|
29%
|
27%
|
30%
|
|
Uncommitted
|
15%
|
14%
|
15%
|
Source: Newspoll / The Australian
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,150 Australian voters, conducted from Apr. 16 to Apr. 18, 2010. Margin of error is 3 per cent.
