Rise of the Ruddster … 7PM … ? 6.38PM: Shorten backs Rudd …

A controversial attempt to rescue Labor’s election prospects by claiming Tony Abbott would marginalise women and change abortion rights has backfired, with support among male voters collapsing while failing to lift substantially among female voters.

In a finding certain to ratchet up pressure on Julia Gillard’s besieged leadership, the latest Age/Nielsen poll has found Labor’s standing has continued to slide, led entirely by a 7 percentage-point exodus of men.

According to the monthly survey, the ALP’s primary vote now has a pyschologically devastating ‘2’ in front of it with less than three months to the September 14 election.

Ms Gillard also has gone backwards as preferred prime minister, giving her the lowest approval rating in a year.

However, the poll also shows that with Kevin Rudd in charge of Labor, almost the entire advantage to the Coalition would be wiped out and the two-party-preferred would split to a dead-heat 50/50.

The poll coincides with the final sittings of the 43rd Parliament, and shows that at 29 per cent, Labor’s primary support has slipped below 30 per cent for only the second time this year.

With the Coalition attracting 47per cent of first-preference votes, Labor now trails by a staggering 18 points on primary votes, putting the overall two party-preferred vote at 43/57 in favour of the Coalition, or 42/58 based on how the 1400 respondents said they would allocate preferences.

If reflected at the election, that would mean a 7 per cent swing to the Coalition on the 50/50 hung Parliament result of 2010, and seethe loss of 30 or more seats, virtually halving Labor’s current representation.

If Mr Rudd was leader, Labor’s primary vote would be up to 40 per cent, the Coalition’s down to 42 per cent, and the two party-preferred split to 50/50.

As nervous Labor MPs gather in Canberra

Read Mark Kenny in The Age here

• Andrew Wilkie: That is not my position and not what I told The Daily Telegraph

• This is a rapidly changing story. Will he or won’t he challenge? Stay abreast of latest news/analysis by using the TT NEWS Dropdown (top nav bar) or any of the favoured blog sites (left col)

Dr Kevin Bonham earlier on Tasmanian Times:

• Federal Labor Getting Smashed All Over Tasmania

• State Labor back to the lifeboats

• Why The Age said to Gillard: Go and Go Now…

• MONDAY, June 24: ABC: Labor’s primary vote drops below 30 per cent in latest Newspoll

• WEDNESDAY, June 26 5.45pm: ABC LIVE: Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd to face off in Labor leadership spill, 7PM Use the TT NEWS Dropdown menu for the latest breaking news/analysis …

• 6.38PM: Shorten tells a media conference he is backing Rudd …