A people's revolt over the federal government's carbon tax is behind Labor's latest damning poll results, coalition frontbencher Andrew Robb says.
A Nielsen poll released on Monday shows Labor's primary vote has slumped to 31 per cent - its lowest level in almost 15 years.
"A lot of that is off the back of the exposure of the problems with the carbon tax and the exposure of so many other problems with this government," Mr Robb told Sky News.
Old faces
But the poll was not all good news for the Coalition - nor Labor - with their former leaders proving more popular than the current pair.
Former Prime Minister and current Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd is once again Labor's preferred leader, trouncing Julia Gillard in the latest Nielsen poll 55-to 38 per cent.
The poll also has Malcolm Turnbull streaking ahead as preferred opposition leader, up to 41 per cent, while Mr Abbott's rating dropped three points to 28 per cent.
But the coalition was preferring to focus on Labor's slump under Gillard.
"The incompetence over the mining tax, the huge debt and deficit ... whose driven that?", Mr Robb asked.
"(Opposition Leader) Tony Abbott has, so Tony's in a very strong position."
Earlier this year, Mr Abbott predicted there'd be a people's revolt against the tax. Mr Robb says that's now happened.
"It is a revolt," he said.
"People have come to realise that a carbon tax is a job destroying tax."
When asked about Abbott's personal ratings, Robb said he backed the current leader.
"This is not a sort of popularity contest," he told ABC TV.
"It is a question of leadership and competence and on that question the coalition is now demonstrably ahead of the Labor party.
"(And) Who's been responsible for that?"
