:Blow to Labor as Abbott surges
MICHELLE GRATTAN
July 31, 2010/the AGE
Opposition Leader Tony Abbott and member for Mackellar Bronwyn Bishop visit Meals On Wheels in Adelaide. Picture: Glen McCurtayne
THE Gillard government would be swept from power according to the latest poll, which shows Labor trailing the Coalition 48 to 52 on a two-party vote.
In a dramatic turnaround, Julia Gillard’s approval has plunged and her lead as preferred Prime Minister has been sharply eroded during a week when government division was exposed by an anti-Gillard leak of cabinet secrets.
The Age/Nielsen poll shows Labor’s two party vote fell six points in a week. The primary vote also fell six points, to 36per cent, an unwinnable level.
The Coalition’s primary vote was up four points to 45per cent while the Greens were steady on 12 per cent. ....
The poll of 1356 people taken on Tuesday (the night the leak was reported) to Thursday showed Ms Gillard’s approval at 51per cent, down five points, while her disapproval was up six points to 39per cent.
Mr Abbott’s approval was up six points to 49per cent, and his disapproval was down six points to 45per cent. Ms Gillard’s net approval rating is now plus 12, while Mr Abbott’s is plus four.
Ms Gillard leads as preferred Prime Minister by 49per cent, down six points to Mr Abbott’s 41per cent, up seven.
The two-party vote is a swing to the Coalition of nearly 5per cent since the election.
Women, who had flocked to Ms Gillard earlier, now appear to be having second thoughts. While Ms Gillard still has a higher approval among women than men — 54 to 48 per cent — the gender gap on voting intention has disappeared, with primary and two-party-preferred votes now little different.
Despite the move against the government, nearly seven out of 10 voters expect Labor to win the election. Around four in five voters said they were ‘‘strongly committed’’ to their current primary voting intention. ..<cont>
) SOMEONE, perhaps he's from Queensland, is out to punish Julia Gillard. ....
LABOR strategists are becoming increasingly worried about Julia Gillard's partner, Tim Mathieson, and his ability to suck oxygen from her election campaign without even appearing alongside her. ...
JULIA Gillard's boyfriend Tim Mathieson was four times over the legal limit when he smashed his car while drunk several years ago in Queensland, court documents show.
According to court records, Mr Mathieson was charged on May 16, 2003, with driving under the influence at Simpsons Rd, Elanora, on the Gold Coast. ....
Gillard denies she's soft on security
Updated Sat Jul 31, 2010 6:11pm AEST
Prime Minister Julia Gillard says it is offensive to suggest she does not take national security matters seriously. ..<cont>
Downer denies Rudd double agent report
Updated 1 hour 47 minutes ago
Mr Rudd's spokesman says the allegations are completely and utterly false
Former Liberal foreign minister Alexander Downer says comments he made about Kevin Rudd have been misinterpreted.
News Limited is today reporting that Mr Downer gave Mr Rudd information that he knew that Mr Rudd would then leak.
The report says Mr Downer claims Mr Rudd then used it by feeding it to the media to embarrass Labor's then foreign affairs spokesman Laurie Brereton.
Mr Rudd eventually replaced Mr Brereton as shadow foreign affairs minister. ...<cont>
Ousted prime minister Kevin Rudd is threatening to take legal action over claims he leaked damaging information about his own party - fed to him by the Liberals - while in opposition.
Former foreign minister Alexander Downer told News Limited newspapers that as an ambitious Labor backbencher in opposition, Mr Rudd sought to undermine Labor's then foreign affairs spokesman, Laurie Brereton, by giving information to the media. ....
) ... Julia, by comparison is unmarried, living with a drunk & is barren to boot!
I am a bit stunned that Labor may end up losing this contest.
Greens seek to capitalise on voter frustration
By online political correspondent Emma Rodgers
Updated 2 hours 1 minute ago
Bob Brown rallied the faithful and sought to capitalise on the recent leadership strife in both major parties. (AAP: Stefan Postles)
Bob Brown has appealed to voters who are frustrated with the major parties to put their trust in the Greens at the upcoming election.
Officially launching The Greens' election campaign in Canberra today, Senator Brown rallied the faithful and sought to capitalise on the recent leadership strife in both parties in a pitch to undecided voters.
"I offer to Australians who are frustrated with the bickering, the short-sightedness, the leadership spills and the failure of vision of this country, a Greens party which not only for the future in our promise, but on our record, has shown a stability neither of the big parties have shown," he said.
Senator Brown did not launch any new policies but reiterated Greens support in several areas such as:
* legalising gay marriage
* better treatment of asylum seekers
* no nuclear waste dumps
* a national recycling program
* junk food advertising bans
* parliamentary debate on Australia's Afghanistan troop commitment
The Greens have also called for a national food security plan, a dental scheme and high-speed rail for the east coast.
Senator Brown singled out The Greens' backing of the $42 billion stimulus package as a significant achievement in the last term of Government.
"We put that package through, saving hundreds of thousands of jobs and thousands of businesses from recession," he said.
Yesterday's Nielsen poll put support for The Greens at 12 per cent and it is expected The Greens will gain the balance of power in the Senate in its own right at the next election.
The poll also put the Coalition in an election-winning lead and Senator Brown warned that a Coalition government would only offer deadlock or dominance.
"We will never just say no," he said.
"We Greens have a plan and a vision which is not stuck, which is clear about the future of this country."
Senator Brown also took a swipe at Prime Minister Julia Gillard's oft-repeated election slogan of "Moving Forward".
"If you're going to move forward you have to say where you're going," he said.
Senator Brown used his speech to say coal companies should have to pay for the cost of extra port and rail facilities to export the resource.
He says the Greens are the only party in favour of a carbon tax.
"Both the big parties want to fund rail lines and port facilities in Queensland and New South Wales to hurry more coal from these big corporations - 75 per cent owned outside Australia - to hurry it to world markets, to be burnt to worsen climate change which threatens all of us.
"Here are The Greens - let them fund that themselves after we've imposed a carbon tax."
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