FED: Abbott cuts into Rudd's lead: poll

AAP General News (Australia)
12-07-2009
FED: Abbott cuts into Rudd's lead: poll

SYDNEY, Dec 7 AAP - A new poll shows Tony Abbott has cut into Kevin Rudd's lead as
preferred prime minister within a week of the newly elected Leader of the Opposition reversing
the Liberals' stand on climate change and rejecting Labor's ETS.

As the Liberals declared clear victories in the Melbourne and Sydney by-elections of
Higgins and Bradfield, the results were mirrored in Newspoll, which showed Mr Abbott outpointing
his predecessor, Malcolm Turnbull, as the preferred Liberal leader, The Australian newspaper
says.

After being Liberal leader for fewer than five days, Mr Abbott was able to claim easy
victories in both Liberal-held seats on primary votes on Saturday night while the Liberal
Party primary vote across the nation lifted, according to Newspoll.

The Newspoll survey, conducted from Friday to Sunday for The Australian, showed a rise
of four percentage points in the Liberals' primary vote, taking the Coalition's support
to 38 per cent compared with the government's unchanged 43 per cent.

The government still has an overwhelming two-party-preferred vote of 56 to 44 per cent,
but Mr Abbott has improved on Mr Turnbull's last position as preferred prime minister
and won strong endorsement among Liberal voters.

Support for Mr Rudd as preferred prime minister fell five percentage points at the
weekend from 65 to 60 per cent and Mr Abbott started on 23 per cent, a rise of nine points
compared with Mr Turnbull's 14 per cent the previous weekend.

AAP ao

KEYWORD: LIBERALS POLL

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