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PM Howard Drops to 45% in Australia
- Public support for John Howard fell this month in Australia, according to a Newspoll published in The Australian. 45 per cent of respondents are satisfied with the performance of John Howard, down four points since late August.
In the October 2004 election, Howard was rewarded with a fourth term in office, as his Coalition of Liberals and Nationals secured 87 seats in the House of Representatives. The Australian Labor Party (ALP)—led by Mark Latham—elected 60 lawmakers.
In January 2005, Kim Beazley took over as opposition leader. Beazley commanded the ALP from March 1996 to November 2001. 31 per cent of respondents are satisfied with Beazley's performance, down four points in two weeks.
Earlier this month, the ALP presented its values-for-visas plan. Deputy opposition leader Jenny Macklin explained the rationale, saying, "It is important that we recognize that the Australian people really do want to make sure that everyone who comes here understands who we are, what are the important things to us."
Howard dismissed the proposal, declaring, "I visit a lot of countries that have values I wouldn't sign on to in a month of Sundays. There are a lot of countries that don't have the democratic practices Australia has. We are happy to consider any ideas but you have to do the research, you have to understand the implication of statements."
Support for Howard as the preferred prime minister is at 54 per cent, a 29-point advantage over Beazley.
Polling Data
Are you satisfied or dissatisfied with the way John Howard is doing his job as prime minister?
Sept. 10 | Aug. 27 | Aug. 13 | |
Satisfied | 45% | 49% | 47% |
Dissatisfied | 45% | 42% | 43% |
Are you satisfied or dissatisfied with the way Kim Beazley is doing his job as leader of the opposition?
Sept. 10 | Aug. 27 | Aug. 13 | |
Satisfied | 31% | 35% | 34% |
Dissatisfied | 53% | 51% | 50% |
Who do you think would make the better prime minister?
Sept. 10 | Aug. 27 | Aug. 13 | |
John Howard (Lib.) | 54% | 54% | 54% |
Kim Beazley (ALP) | 25% | 26% | 27% |
Source: Newspoll / The Australian
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,141 Australian voters, conducted from Sept. 8 to Sept. 10, 2006. Margin of error is 3 per cent.