(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - The governing Australian Labor Party (ALP) continues to enjoy high popular support, according to a poll by Newspoll published in The Australian. 44 per cent of respondents would vote for the ALP in the next election to the House of Representatives, down one point since late August.

The Coalition of Liberals and Nationals is second with 37 per cent, followed by the Australian Greens with 11 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 12-point lead over the Coalition.

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.

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 Malcolm Turnbull in an internal leadership ballot by just three votes.

On Sept. 11, Nelson assured that he will lead the Coalition into the next national election following rumours that former treasurer Peter Costello would bid for his job, declaring, "I have the highest regard for what Peter Costello has done for Australia. He and John Howard and the coalition put this country into the most prosperous and confident position it had been for many, many years and we owe them an enormous debt. But from my point of view, I have a job to do, I’m determined to do it, I will continue to do it and I will put the interest and welfare of everyday Australians first and foremost in this."

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?

Two-Party Preferred Vote

Source: Newspoll / The Australian
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,138 Australian voters, conducted from Sept. 5 to Sept. 7, 2008. Margin of error is 3 per cent.

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