First poll puts Labor behind
FIRST ON 7: The first poll of voting intentions to be released since Kevin Rudd called the election has revealed the Labor government faces an uphill battle to win on September 7.
The 7News/ReachTEL poll of 2949 voters taken today shows the coalition would win the election if it were held today, with a two-party preferred vote of 52% compared to Labor’s 48%.
The poll puts Labor behind, but still well within striking distance of the Coalition – and in a much better position than it was under former Prime Minister Julia Gillard.
In a poll taken in May, the Labor Party’s two party preferred vote plummeted to just 42%.
The poll reveals a slight drop in Labor’s primary vote, down to 37.5% from 39.3% in the middle of July.
The Greens’ primary vote remains steady on 8%, while Katter’s Australia Party and the Palmer United Party account for less than 2% each.
The poll also reveals a big turnaround in the preferred Prime Minister stakes, with voters now virtually evenly split between Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Opposition Leader Tony Abbott.
The 7News/ReachTEL poll shows 50.9% of voters now prefer Mr Abbott as Prime Minister, compared 47% just a few weeks ago on July 18.
Despite the relatively close two party preferred vote, most Australians – 61 per cent - believe tony Abbott will win power on September 7.
The poll also shows the coalition is far ahead of Labor on the issues most important to voters.
60 per cent of voters trust the coalition to better handle the economy, while 56% trust the coalition on the issue of asylum seekers.
The 7News/ReachTEL poll reveals cost of living and economic issues dominate voter concerns at the beginning of the election campaign.
39% of respondents cited management of the economy as their most pressing concern, while 25% said cost of living mattered most to them.
Despite heavy focus from our leaders and the media, only 13% of voters identified asylum seekers as the most important issue to them.
Education, the leaders of the parties, and the environment only ranked in the single digits in terms of voters’ concerns.
