(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - The opposition Australian Labor Party (ALP) remains in first place, according to a Newspoll published in The Australian. 44 per cent of respondents would support the ALP in the next legislative election, while 39 per cent would vote for the governing Coalition of Liberals and Nationals.

The Australian Greens are third with seven per cent. Australia's preferential voting system—where electors indicate an order of predilection for each contender, and the ballots from smaller parties are re-distributed—gives the ALP a ten-point lead over the Coalition.

In the October 2004 election, prime minister John Howard was rewarded with a fourth term in office, as the Coalition secured 87 seats in the House of Representatives. The ALP—led by Mark Latham—elected 60 lawmakers. In December 2006, foreign affairs spokesman Kevin Rudd became the new leader of the ALP, defeating Kim Beazley in an internal caucus ballot.

In November, Howard declared that he does not intend to sign the Kyoto Protocol. Yesterday, ALP climate change spokesman Peter Garrett questioned the government's record on global warming, saying, "The bell is tolling on our way of life, on our economy, on the health of the planet, and it means that the bell is tolling on the prime minister to stand up and actually show that he's got a policy that will address climate change."

The next legislative election is tentatively scheduled for late 2007.

Polling Data

If a federal election to the House of Representatives were held today, which one of the following would you vote for? If "Uncommitted", to which one of these do you have a leaning?

Archive Search

Over 19,600 Polls
Search the Angus Reid Global Monitor Polls & Research archive.