May 30, 2008

Abstract: (Angus Reid Global Monitor) - The Australian Labor Party (ALP) is the most popular political organization in the country, according to a poll by Newspoll published in The Australian. 47 per cent of respondents would vote for the ALP in the next election to the House of Representatives.

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - The Australian Labor Party (ALP) is the most popular political organization in the country, according to a poll by Newspoll published in The Australian. 47 per cent of respondents would vote for the ALP in the next election to the House of Representatives.

The Coalition of Liberals and Nationals is second with 37 per cent, followed by the Australian Greens with nine 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 14-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 May 28, the Real Estate Institute of Australia revealed that house affordability in the country is at its worse rate ever after the central bank raised borrowing rates to 7.25 per cent in March. Noel Dyett, president of the institute, declared: "Renters and buyers are feeling the fallout from consecutive interest rate rises. Buyers can expect the pain to continue for some time."

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?

	May 18	May 4	Apr. 20
Australian Labor Party	47%	47%	51%
Coalition (Liberal / National)	37%	37%	34%
Australian Greens	9%	9%	9%
Others	7%	7%	6%

Two-Party Preferred Vote

	May 18	May 4	Apr. 20
Australian Labor Party	57%	57%	61%
Coalition (Liberal / National)	43%	43%	39%

Source: Newspoll / The Australian
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,141 Australian voters, conducted from May 16 to May 18, 2008. Margin of error is 3 per cent.