PM Gillard's stocks rise, as Labor lags

6 Feb 2012, 5:51 pm   -   Source: AAP
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Wayne Swan describes much of the media coverage of the supposed leadership tensions as bizarre. (AAP)

Wayne Swan describes much of the media coverage of the supposed leadership tensions as bizarre. (AAP)

Julia Gillard has edged ahead as preferred prime minister and brushed off rumblings about a possible Labor leadership struggle.

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Prime Minister Julia Gillard has dismissed rumblings about the Labor leadership as "fevered speculation", after a new poll showed a lift in her political standing among voters.

However, Ms Gillard said her minority government had a lot of "hard work" to do to win the next election, with the Nielsen poll giving the coalition a two-party lead of 53 per cent to Labor's 47 per cent.

Ms Gillard, who on Sunday told a caucus meeting MPs must be more disciplined, brushed off the leadership issue when asked by reporters in Canberra about her working relationship with Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd, who is making his way back from security talks in Europe.

"I deal with Kevin Rudd frequently in his capacity as minister for foreign affairs," she said on Monday.

"On everything else I will leave you to your fevered speculation - it doesn't need any facts or commentary from me."

While Ms Gillard overtook Opposition Leader Tony Abbott as preferred prime minister by 48 to 46 per cent, the Neilsen poll published by Fairfax Media on Monday showed Mr Rudd had a 22-point lead over Ms Gillard as preferred Labor leader.

Betting agencies now have Mr Rudd for the first time level pegging with Ms Gillard to be Labor leader by the next election, after weeks of speculation about the leadership ambitions of the former prime minister.

Ms Gillard said she was focused on explaining to voters how Labor was "reshaping the economy" for the better.

"We do have a lot of hard work to do, and if we do that hard work I believe we can win the election when it's held in 2013," she said.

All of the government's actions and policies should be measured against "the benefit it brings to the Australian people", she said.

Greens Leader Bob Brown said voters were becoming more supportive of the nation's first female prime minister.

"There's a big swing around from the average punter in favour of Julia Gillard," he told reporters in Canberra on Monday.

"She is getting a rough time ... and quite a bit of the criticism is sexist and unfair and unrelenting, and the prime minister needs a bit of a break from that.

"The people of Australia are indicating she should have it."

He repeated the Greens' desire for the Gillard government to serve its full term.

"She may not be the great visionary of political leadership in Australia, but (she's) very strong, very determined, and people are incredibly impressed with her ability to deal with what's been chucked at her. And so am I," he said.

But asked whether the party would support the minority Labor government in the event of a leadership change, Senator Brown said, "That's so."

Key crossbencher Tony Windsor, whose parliamentary support the Gillard government relies upon for confidence and supply, said Labor had much to talk about, including the national broadband network, action on climate change and the minerals resource rent tax.

"If a few people in the Labor Party want to throw that away, for their own short-term political positions, well I think that would be a bit of a shame," he said.

Industry Minister Greg Combet said the prime ministership should not be treated like a revolving door.

"What is important ... is to get on with the job of representing the people we represent and managing the economy well," he told ABC television.

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott said it was clear that minority government was an experiment that had failed.

"It's time for a prime minister who was chosen by the people at an election, not one chosen by the faceless men," he told reporters.

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