Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd is playing down polling that puts him ahead of Prime Minister Julia Gillard as preferred Labor leader, saying it was a great honour to serve as prime minister.
The prime minister's approval rating has slumped to its lowest level since she toppled Mr Rudd in June 2010, the latest Nielsen poll indicates.
The poll's respondents favoured Mr Rudd over Ms Gillard 39-34 per cent as Labor leader.
On the opposite side of politics, respondents preferred Malcolm Turnbull (37 per cent) over Tony Abbott (31 per cent) as Liberal leader.
Nevertheless, Mr Abbott has the coalition in an election-winning position outpolling Labor 54-46 per cent on a two-party preferred basis - the same result as last week's Newspoll.
"Polls come and go," Mr Rudd told Sky News on Monday.
"It was a great honour to serve as prime minister of Australia, it's a great honour to serve as foreign minister of Australia."
The poll was published in Fairfax newspapers on Monday.
