KEVIN Rudd’s personal standing has taken a hammering after his decision to dump his climate change policy last week, and for the first time since 2006 the Coalition has an election-winning lead.
The Prime Minister’s personal satisfaction rating has dropped the most in the shortest time in the 20-year history of Newspoll surveys, and for the first time since the election Labor no longer has a clear lead over either the Coalition or the Greens on the issue of climate change.
Mr Rudd’s previous standing as being seen to be “decisive and strong” also fell significantly, and for the first time since the election Labor lost its lead over allcomers as the preferred party to handle climate change.
For the first time in Mr Rudd’s prime ministership, an opposition leader is seen clearly as being stronger and more decisive than Mr Rudd, and Tony Abbott is considered almost equal with the Prime Minister in his grasp of major policy issues.
After weeks of dramatic policy reversals and broken promises, culminating last week in Mr Rudd’s decision to put off his Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme until at least 2013, the government’s primary vote has plunged eight percentage points to just 35 per cent. The Coalition’s primary support has risen three points to 43 per cent.
Most of Labor’s lost vote appears to have gone to “others and independents” rather than to the Coalition or the Greens.
phill Parsons: Denison going Green Federally?
People are supposed to differentiate between State and Federal election issues but in the case of the “greatest moral challenge of our time” their distrust of the Tasmanian Labor Party may reflect at the federal ballot this year.
The latest Newspoll in The Australian in answer to the question “Who do you think is best to handle the issue of climate change” has Someone Else level pegging the 2 outdated parties.
Duncan Kerr, the longtime Labor member is retiring. He has managed to display a green tinge for years because he and his advisors understand the voting trend.
The Labor Premier failed to top the poll being pipped by O’Connor [Green]. The vote for the Independent Wilkie when added to the green Vote puts that block ahead of the Liberals.
The Greens only have to outpoll one of the outdated parties to be a serious contender for a lower house seat and Denison must rank among the nation’s greener seats.
Pundits place 3 other lower house seats, all inner city, as in danger of falling to the Greens. Denison must join them especially with a popular local Green candidate. No doubt the other parties are searching for one they can market under their tattered old flags.
Of course we must stand by for a power shift by Rudd with alternative energy projects on every street corner as one in every roof proved a disaster. Be prepared for a long time frame to completion to avoid deaths and mismanagement from what was a good idea politicised by a financial crisis.
