SKIP TO MAIN CONTENT

Rudd says he'll fight despite poor polling

Deputy Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says Labor is focused on its plans for Australia's future rather than opinion polls.

Rudd says he'll fight despite poor polling
Labor's primary vote is 34 per cent and the coalition's is 47 per cent, the latest Newspoll shows.

3 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AAP


Skip to article content

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says he shouldn't be written off in this election despite another poll showing support for Labor falling.

"There are many things worth fighting for. This is a fight worth having," he told Seven on Monday.

"If you look at my political past, it hasn't alway been easy and I've been written off many many times before."

The latest Newspoll shows Labor is heading for an election loss on September 7, with Mr Rudd in a worse position now than when he was dumped as Labor leader in 2010, while Opposition Leader Tony Abbott's popularity is climbing.

The Newspoll, conducted for The Australian on the weekend, shows Labor's primary vote is just 34 per cent, compared to the coalition's primary vote of 47 per cent.

News that makes sense

Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

On a two-party-preferred basis, Labor's support stands at 46 per cent - a drop of two percentage points - while the coalition's support has risen to 54 per cent.

Deputy Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says Labor is focused on its plans for education, health and infrastructure.

"We are busy putting our campaign forward," he told ABC Radio on Monday.

"It's up to commentators to commentate on polls."

Mr Rudd still edges Mr Abbott as preferred prime minister - 43 to 41 - but his support is dwindling, equating to a loss of three points from the previous poll and a rise in Mr Abbott's rating of four points, the closest Mr Abbott's ever been to Mr Rudd on the question of preferred prime minister.

Mr Rudd's voter satisfaction rating also dropped four points to 35 per cent, while his dissatisfaction rating rose six points, to 54 per cent, his worst ever personal support.

Mr Abbott's satisfaction rating, meanwhile, is on the up, with a rise of three percentage points to 41 per cent, up seven points during the election campaign, while his dissatisfaction rating was 51 per cent, down one point and a five point fall overall during the campaign.

With Labor's primary vote only fractionally higher than it was in the closing phases of Julia Gillard's prime ministership, Finance Minister Penny Wong was asked if the party should have stuck with its original line-up.

"I'm looking ahead, I'm not looking back," Senator Wong told ABC Radio.


Get SBS News straight to your inbox

Sign up now for daily news from Australia and around the world. You can also subscribe to Insight's weekly newsletter for in-depth features and first-person stories.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Follow SBS News

Download our apps

Listen to our podcasts

Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service

Stream now

Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world