The Courier-Mail has published a Galaxy poll of 1009 respondents “conducted over the weekend” which shows Labor with a 52-48 lead on two-party preferred, the same as recorded in the snap poll of 800 respondents conducted on the day Julia Gillard assumed the leadership. However, Labor has lost ground on the primary vote to the Greens, down two points to 39 per cent with the Greens up three to 14 per cent. The Coalition is steady on 42 per cent. In spite of everything, two-thirds of respondents are said to support the plan on asylum seekers announced last week by Gillard, although “about six in 10” believe the measures “were not well thought out and were rushed”. The Fairfax broadsheets should come good with a Nielsen poll later this evening.
UPDATE: The Nielsen poll, conducted Thursday to Saturday from a sample of 1400, concurs on every particular except the Greens vote, which is at 13 per cent rather than 14 per cent. The sting in the tail for the government here is that it comes off the back of a quirkily favourable 55-45 result from Nielsen immediately after the leadership change. The poll has Julia Gillard leading Tony Abbott as preferred prime minister 56-35, little different from her 55-34 lead previously. Approval ratings for Gillard have been gauged for the first time, and they have her at 54 per cent approve and 32 per cent disapprove. Reversing the last result, Tony Abbott is up on both approval (three points to 43 per cent) and disapproval (five points to 51 per cent), the latter shift probably reflecting an unfriendly sample last time.
A series of “best party to handle” questions turns up a surprise in giving the Coalition only a very slight 44-42 lead on asylum seekers, and when the Greens are included in the mix Labor’s score shows a six point improvement since the question was last asked in March. However, Labor would be alarmed to have slipped a further three points on the economy, with the Coalition opening up a dangerous 53-39 lead. Labor has taken four points off the Coalition as best party to handle health since March, now holding a commanding 57-33 lead that goes a fair way to explaining their latest television ad. Labor retains commanding leads on education (53-36), the environment (51-35) and industrial relations (58-34).
UPDATE 3: Essential Research has Labor up slightly from 54-46 to 55-45, although the primary votes suggest rounding has a fair bit to do with the improvement: both parties are down one on the primary vote, Labor to 41 per cent and Coalition to 38 per cent, with the Greens up two to 13 per cent. The supplementary questions are interesting: Julia Gillard’s mining tax changes have gone down well, supported by 50 per cent and opposed by 28 per cent, with 58 per cent rating Gillard’s handling of the issue “good” against 25 per cent “poor”. However, 41 per cent believed mining companies wielded “too much influence” in the process. The asylum seeker announcement slightly improved Labor’s position on the issue, which 56 per cent continue to think “too soft” (down 11 points) against 21 per cent for “taking the right approach” (up three), and the Coalition lead as best-party-to-handle has narrowed from 34-23 to 31-24. In spite of everything Gillard’s handling of the issue has 42 per cent approval and 33 per cent disapproval. Questions on the likelihood of WorkChoices being reintroduced under a Coalition government are little changed since the question was asked six weeks ago, with most believing they would and few happy about the prospect.
3992
A significant part of the reduction in the road toll has been the improvement in medicine and medicine infrastructure. Serious injuries are a serious problem and far more numerous and costly (I am not saying that more people should die but that more needs to be done to combat serious injury). Measures to help that are more Copenhagen bike lanes (so the bikes are protected from cars), banning cars from large shopping strips, improved public transport and many others.
Just what did Abbott mean by, if there is a legal problem, we will fix it. Sounds awfully corrupt. And to think Rudd got roasted just for being at a function with Brian Burke
[…banning cars from large shopping strips…]
I am sure the shop owners would just love that.
Psephos,
I well know that I’m a hypocrite and luckily, as a Christian, I have confession and God’s Grace to get me through life.
How do you handle your own hypocrisy and cant?
You are clearly seeking an apology. However, I don’t feel that I have written anything particularly damning to warrant your reaction and certainly to apologise would be an empty gesture, as I would not be sincere.
I said what I said within a rather clever (in my opinion) throwaway comment on this blog. You have focussed on one word and missed my genius. Such is life!
I’m “moving forward” as they say in the current political vernacular. I hope you can join me there.
“My people will speak to their people”. The rest I leave to your imagination, Andrew
Going by numerous inscriptions on the gravestones in country cemeteries, horses were bloody dangerous. But I suppose that was before seat belts.
[Australian share market closes lower on rumours of election being called]
I can’t tell you how annoying it is to see this…democracy thing that the radicals are parading affect my portfolio value! Hmmph!
Abbott on Ten News
[What Australia needs is a government with stability and confidence… and that’s what they will get if they vote for the Coalition]
Riding under a tree while wearing a hat was often fatal.
Andrew
[Just what did Abbott mean by, if there is a legal problem, we will fix it. Sounds awfully corrupt.]
Sounds like that other little legal thing he lied about to the ABC.
4003
Adequate public transport would need to be provided and there would be more footpath so many of the traders would have more space to trade (cafes etc). Only the big ones with enough of their own pulling power, local density and good PT could be done in the near future.
[What Australia needs is a government with stability and confidence… and that’s what they will get if they vote for the Coalition]
stability and confidence? I’d say more like autocracy and arrogance.
jenauthor
Posted Friday, July 16, 2010 at 5:40 pm | Permalink
“I am not a Lib Ron — am very staunchly progressive (read Labor — Greens are unrealistic in their opinions)……Is it clear what I am trying to say now? ”
jenauthor , I seem to be always in norty trouble with Ladys here , but I do love ladys actualy But i understand what you now saying , and thanks to my mate Fulvio I can throw a hart to you a la 🙂
People quickly forgot that Abbott became Opposition leader by just one solitary vote.
Thanks Ron — back at ya! 🙂
[William so wish they had asked you about the Abbott phone call thing.]
I suspect I’d have disappointed you if they had. My interpretation of Abbott’s comment is that it was Johnson himself who would get “fixed” if there was a legal problem, hence the reassuring follow-up that “I had no reason to think there was”. I certainly think reporters should be badgering him for an explanation, but the take-away from it – that Abbott’s wishes were ignored by the LNP – is pretty minor in the world-historic scheme of things.
3907
Bigship
[You’d make an excellent journalist ….]
Imagine if he/she was a court reporter, he/she wasn’t at the scene of the crime but he/she has managed to print about 200 posts and 40,000 words of concrete evidence nailing the protagonist/s with the evidence being only 15 words of “hear say”.
[ I can’t tell you how annoying it is to see this…democracy thing that the radicals are parading affect my portfolio value! Hmmph! ]
Yep, this democracy shit has got to stop. Every time there’s an election, it adds uncertainty because we don’t know who the winner will be. Every time!!! We should take a leaf out of China’s book.
4014
And it was after the resignations and before the election of the replacements in Bradfield and Higgins. Had it been either side of those events things might be quite different.
[I well know that I’m a hypocrite and luckily, as a Christian, I have confession and God’s Grace to get me through life.]
If God has forgiven you for calling me a liar, that’s very nice for you. I’m glad you cleared it up with him.
[How do you handle your own hypocrisy and cant?]
Not having your evade-responsibility-through-divine-forgiveness card, I try to avoid making baseless allegations against people in the first place. If I find I have done so, I apologise to them, not to my imaginary friend.
The “news” at the moment is like the run up to the olympic games. Dozens of reporters waiting to go, looking for stories, makin stuf up, blowing things up.
Let the games begin – its all fluff. They will soon be reporting on the real thing.
4020
I am on Psephos`s side.
GG
“I said what I said within a rather clever (in my opinion) throwaway comment on this blog. You have focussed on one word and missed my genius.”
well GG , I’ve hav never missed th fact you a fair dinkum Labor suporter who tells it as it is , and a genius with words especialy one liners against Greens compared to most bloggers You quite selctive with dictionarys dustbin of 000’s of words whereas I just select by random
[I am on Psephos`s side]
Watch out he may turn apostrophe nark. 🙂
New thread.