(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Almost half of people in Australia say the change in the leadership of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) will not make any difference, according to a poll by Newspoll published in The Australian. 47 per cent of respondents say new leader Julia Gillard will be about the same as her predecessor and former prime minister, Kevin Rudd.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Almost half of people in Australia say the change in the leadership of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) will not make any difference, according to a poll by Newspoll published in The Australian. 47 per cent of respondents say new leader Julia Gillard will be about the same as her predecessor and former prime minister, Kevin Rudd.
However, 38 per cent of respondents think Gillard will be a better leader for the ALP than Rudd.
Rudd was Australia’s prime minister from December 2007 until last month. On Jun. 23, ALP member and then deputy prime minister Julia Gillard called for a snap leadership challenge to Rudd to be held the following day. Although the prime minister had expressed confidence in having enough backers within his party’s ranks, he decided to step aside before the vote took place. Gillard became the first woman to serve as prime minister in Australia.
On Jul. 17, Gillard called an early election, which will be held on Aug. 21. Gillard made the announcement, adding, "I want to keep the economy strong so people can enjoy the benefits of work. We do not have to be afraid of the future; we can master big challenges like climate change together."
Polling Data
Thinking about the leadership of the federal parliamentary Labor Party, do you think Ms. Julia Gillard will be a better leader than Mr. Kevin Rudd, a worse leader, or do you think they would be about the same?
|
Better leader
|
38%
|
|
Worse leader
|
9%
|
|
About the same
|
47%
|
|
Uncommitted
|
6%
|
Source: Newspoll / The Australian
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,142 Australian voters, conducted from Jun. 25 to Jun. 27, 2010. Margin of error is 3 per cent.
