May 31, 2007

Abstract: (Angus Reid Global Monitor) - The opposition Australian Labor Party (ALP) is holding on to the top spot in the country's federal political scene, according to a Newspoll published in The Australian. 47 per cent of respondents would vote for the ALP, while 39 per cent would support the governing Coalition of Liberals and Nationals.

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - The opposition Australian Labor Party (ALP) is holding on to the top spot in the country's federal political scene, according to a Newspoll published in The Australian. 47 per cent of respondents would vote for the ALP, while 39 per cent would support the governing Coalition of Liberals and Nationals.

The Australian Greens are third with five 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 10-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.

On May 29, Rudd and Howard participated in a particularly heated exchange in Parliament over the topics of industrial relations and global warming. Rudd criticized the prime minister, declaring, "The Australian people look people in the eye and they know when they are being fair dinkum. You have spent 11 years not being fair dinkum on this."

Howard suggested that the opposition leader was overexcited because of his lead in voting intention polls, adding, "Don't you come in here with your puffed up hubris and start lecturing this side of the House about accountability under the Westminster system."

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 24	May 20	May 13
Australian Labor Party	47%	49%	50%
Coalition (Liberal / National)	39%	39%	36%
Australian Greens	5%	3%	4%
Others	9%	9%	10%

Two-Party Preferred Vote

	May 24	May 20	May 13
Australian Labor Party	55%	57%	59%
Coalition (Liberal / National)	45%	43%	41%

Source: Newspoll / The Australian
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,146 Australian voters, conducted from May 21 to May 24, 2007. Margin of error is 3 per cent.