Fed: Poll puts Labor further ahead as PM judged old, dishonest

AAP General News (Australia)
08-07-2007
Fed: Poll puts Labor further ahead as PM judged old, dishonest

CANBERRA, Aug 7 AAP - The latest Newspoll shows federal Labor increasing its commanding
lead over the coalition government as parliament resumes from the winter break.

The poll published in today's The Australian newspaper gives Labor a 56-44 advantage
over the coalition on a two-party preferred basis, a widening of two points from the previous
poll.

The Labor lead increased by the same amount on the primary vote to 48-39 per cent and
preferred prime minister with leader Kevin Rudd ahead of Prime Minister John Howard 44-39.

However, the government could find some vindication in the poll for its controversial
handling of the Mohamed Haneef case, with 49 per cent approving and 36 per cent disapproving.

The latest Newspoll, conducted at the weekend, follows the emergence yesterday of damning
Liberal Party research showing that voters see Mr Howard as old and dishonest.

Prepared six weeks ago by trusted Liberal strategist Mark Textor, the dossier says
Mr Howard's age will be an election issue and one of the major impediments to the coalition
holding office.

It says voters see Mr Rudd, 49, as a more youthful, more caring, more trustworthy version
of the 68-year-old prime minister.

And it suggested fending off the Labor challenge by focusing attention on the state
governments, stressing that the commonwealth was bailing out ineffective and inefficient
states.

Since then, the government has stepped up its attacks on the states, including last
week's unprecedented decision to fund a Tasmanian hospital earmarked for downgrading.

Mr Rudd says the dossier showed Mr Howard had given up governing and was now completely
poll-driven.

But Mr Howard is playing down the document, saying government support had improved
since it was compiled in late June.

Mr Rudd told the Labor caucus yesterday that an election predicted for after the September
APEC summit in Sydney could be held on October 20 at the earliest.

He said Mr Howard might be tempted to extend the poll date to November, but that ran
the risk of making people impatient.

But according to News Ltd newspapers, Howard's battlers, the aspirational mortgagees
credited with dumping Paul Keating for John Howard, have already turned to Mr Rudd.

The Daily Telegraph newspaper, using a second instalment of Textor figures today, has
tracked the mortgagees shift to Labor in Sydney.

It says the charge to Labor is being led by voters aged 35 to 49 - with younger and
first-time voters bringing up the rear.

The polling shows the biggest drift away from the Howard government by voters aged
35 to 49 is higher in NSW than any other state - 18 per cent of them have dumped the Liberals
since 2004.

Meanwhile, today's Newspoll showed that on the issue of Immigration Minister Kevin
Andrews' decision to cancel Dr Haneef's work visa, 70 per cent of coalition voters supported
his handling of the case while 17 per cent disapproved.

Among Labor supporters, 38 per cent supported the way the minister handled the case,
with 51 per cent saying they disapproved.

AAP pw/sco/mn/pc/mn

KEYWORD: POLL DAYLEAD

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