(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - The new leader of Australia’s Liberal party is more popular than his predecessor, according to a poll by Newspoll published in The Australian. 24 per cent of respondents say Michael Turnbull would be the best prime minister for the country, an eight-point improvement since early September, when Brendan Nelson was still the opposition leader.

Incumbent Kevin Rudd of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) is still the preferred prime minister with 54 per cent, down eight points in two weeks. 50 per cent of respondents are satisfied with Rudd’s work.

Australia held a federal election in November 2007. Final results gave the ALP 85 seats in the 150-member House of Representatives. ALP leader Kevin 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. The Liberals have an alliance with the National party.

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 right after the ballot. On Sept. 16, Turnbull won a new internal leadership race, edging Nelson by four votes.

After accepting his new post, Turnbull declared: "It’s a great honour, privilege, humbling to be elected today to be able to lead the federal parliamentary Liberal Party of Australia. Ours is a great party, a party whose values are as important to the prosperity and security of Australia as they have in years gone by."

Polling Data

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

Who do you think would make the better prime minister? (*)

(*) Brendan Nelson was listed in the Sept. 7 and Aug. 24 surveys instead of Malcolm Turnbull.

Source: Newspoll / The Australian
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,148 Australian voters, conducted from Sept. 19 to Sept. 21, 2008. Margin of error is 3 per cent.

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