(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - The Australian Labor Party (ALP) maintains the top spot in the country’s federal political scene, according to a poll by Newspoll published in The Australian. 51 per cent of respondents would back the governing ALP in the next election to the House of Representatives, up three points since early April.

The Coalition of Liberals and Nationals is second with 34 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 22-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.

Yesterday, Rudd presided the Anzac Day ceremonies for the first time, declaring, "Whatever the comforts of our modern age, whatever its distractions, and whatever its disillusionments, there is something unique about this land Australia and the ideals for which we Australians stand. (...) This is a place of unparalleled beauty, we are a good people who want for the good of others, we stand for a deep sense of liberty for which our forebears fought and which should never be surrendered, whatever the cost."

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 1,144 Australian voters, conducted from Apr. 18 to Apr. 20, 2008. Margin of error is 3 per cent.

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