imcrookonit
Ex Member
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PM's message misses mark
New Nielsen polling figures show a decline in support for Labor after the election, as support for the Greens and several independents grows.
THE Gillard government has failed to win majority support on Afghanistan and releasing children from detention in an Age/Nielsen poll showing Labor and the Coalition still neck and neck on a two party basis two months after the election that produced a hung Parliament.
With people also split on a carbon price, the Coalition leads Labor 51-49 per cent on the two party vote, based on how people allocated preferences at the election. This is a one point increase for the Coalition and a fall of one point for Labor compared with the 50-50 per cent election result.
Labor's primary vote has fallen four points to 34 per cent in the, while the Greens are up two points to 14 per cent. The Coalition is down one point to 43 per cent. An election held now would again be line ball.
Julia Gillard has defied Labor's primary vote trend - her approval is up four points since election eve to 54 per cent, while Tony Abbott's approval is down one point to 45 per cent. Ms Gillard's disapproval has fallen two points to 39 per cent; Mr Abbott's disapproval is up a point to 50 per cent.
Ms Gillard leads as preferred prime minister by 53 per cent (up two points ) to Mr Abbott's 39 per cent (down one).
The poll of 1400 people, taken Thursday to Saturday, comes after the government and opposition in the parliamentary debate on Afghanistan strongly supported the commitment, with Ms Gillard warning that Australia would be engaged there for another decade. The government last week also announced hundreds of families would be released from detention.
But people's views on involvement in Afghanistan have changed little in 18 months. Just under half (49 per cent, down two points since March last year) oppose Australia's involvement; while 45 per cent (up one point) back it.
Views differ sharply across party lines: 55 per cent of Coalition voters are in favour of the commitment; 45 per cent of Labor voters and only 23 per cent of Green voters. Voters are also fairly evenly split on letting asylum seeker families and children live in the community while their claims are processed - with 50 per cent opposed and 47 per cent in favour.
Almost two-thirds of Coalition voters oppose the policy, while 57 per cent of Labor voters and 75 per cent of Greens are in favour. In further difficult news for the government, most people would ultimately put the interests of communities and farmers ahead of the environment in allocating Murray Darling water, and support for a carbon price is well below the public backing for an emissions trading scheme earlier this year.
While people overwhelmingly (79 per cent) want a balanced outcome between community and farmer needs on the one hand and the environment on the other, when they are pushed to choose which should ultimately come first 51 per cent would give the community/farmer needs priority, compared with 43 per cent who would give the environment priority.
Opinion on a carbon price, for which the government's high-level committee is developing options, is also deeply divided -with 46 per cent in favour and 44 per cent opposed. Backing for an ETS before the election was between 56 and 60 per cent.
A meeting of more than 150 members of the ALP National Left in Canberra yesterday pledged to promote ''climate change policies which support immediate action …''
Comments
Good to see that the elctorate is finally waking up to Abbott and realizing he just would not cut it as a PM.
The electability(?) of the Labor side now, as it should, relies on their performance.
Abbott has only to July, if he survives the pre-christmas killing fields, to underscore his ability to wreck legislation - no doubt with all the help Merde-och and his propagandist can muster.
hotbar | ACT - October 25, 2010, 7:39AM
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Abbott Just Would Not Cut It As P.M. (Read 356 times)
