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Rudd Granted Wide Support in Australia
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd remains highly popular, according to a poll by Newspoll published in The Australian. 61 per cent of respondents are satisfied with Rudd’s performance, up one point since early August.
The popularity of opposition leader Malcolm Turnbull is slightly up, with 30 per cent of respondents expressing satisfaction with his work, up four points since earlier this month.
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.
In the preferred prime minister category, Rudd is first with 66 per cent, while only 19 per cent would rather have Turnbull lead the government.
On Aug. 26, Rudd expressed his views on domestic violence after it emerged that an ALP lawmaker, Jodie Campbell, had been beaten by her partner. The prime minister declared: "Acts of violence against women are cowardly acts by men and have no place, no place, in modern Australia. (…) That’s why I have said, time and time and time again, that the only attitude that we can have to this sort of violence is a policy of zero tolerance, and as a nation we need to embrace that."
Polling Data
Are you satisfied or dissatisfied with the way Kevin Rudd is doing his job as prime minister?
|
|
Aug. 23 |
Aug. 9 |
Jul. 26 |
|
Satisfied |
61% |
60% |
63% |
|
Dissatisfied |
29% |
28% |
26% |
|
Uncommitted |
10% |
12% |
11% |
Are you satisfied or dissatisfied with the way Malcolm Turnbull is doing his job as leader of the opposition?
|
|
Aug. 23 |
Aug. 9 |
Jul. 26 |
|
Satisfied |
30% |
26% |
33% |
|
Dissatisfied |
56% |
57% |
50% |
|
Uncommitted |
14% |
17% |
17% |
Who do you think would make the better prime minister?
|
|
Aug. 23 |
Aug. 9 |
Jul. 26 |
|
Kevin Rudd (ALP) |
66% |
65% |
66% |
|
Malcolm Turnbull (Lib.) |
19% |
17% |
16% |
|
Uncommitted |
15% |
18% |
18% |
Source: Newspoll / The Australian
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,151 Australian voters, conducted from Aug. 21 to Aug. 23, 2009. Margin of error is 3 per cent.