I find when 'rumours' abound in the media regarding for example.... Kevin Rudd being booted and Julia Gillard getting the top job, the rumours are correct more often than not. I will take the media's speculation that a Federal Election will happen in a month or so, as definite.
Aqua.... are you writing for the papers now?
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They'll be wanting to move fast before the shine wears off (which won't be long)
Headline at
http://www.news.com.au/
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Shine wears off, but Gillard still on top
Polls show shine wears off, but Julia Gillard's Labor still ahead
By Lincoln Archer and wires
From: news.com.au
July 12, 2010 8:13AMJULIA Gillard has slipped in the polls after last week's stumble on asylum seeker policy, but Labor still holds a winning lead ahead of the federal election expected to be called as soon as this weekend.
Federal Cabinet will meet tomorrow to decide its climate change policy, which is seen as the final hurdle for the Gillard government to clear before going to the polls.
The climate plan is expected to focus on energy efficiency targets and restrictions on new coal-fired power stations, but resist a push for a tax on carbon pollution.
One Labor frontbencher reportedly told The Australian that such a move would political "suicide" so close to an election. But Labor strategists are said to be concerned about a slight loss of momentum since Ms Gillard took office in late June.
Labor's support fell three points in the Nielsen poll out today, but the party still led the Coalition 52-48. Today's Galaxy poll also showed a 52-48 split, which was steady.
Nielsen has Ms Gillard beating Mr Abbott as preferred prime minister by 56 per cent to 35 per cent.
On the primary vote count, Labor had dropped eight points since the last Nielsen poll held just after Kevin Rudd's removal as prime minister, but was still well ahead of the levels that forced him out. Galaxy found primary vote support had slipped two per cent.
The Coalition's primary vote has stayed at 42 per cent, but support for the Greens has lifted from 12 per cent to 14 per cent - a sign that voters who have detected an unwanted move to the right on asylum seekers by Ms Gillard have deserted Labor.
The policy, announced last week, centred on a plan to set up a regional processing centre. It appeared in Ms Gillard's speech that the centre would be in East Timor, but by the end of the week she said it could be anywhere.
Nearly two-thirds of the people asked in the Galaxy poll approved of the policy, but nearly the same number said it had been poorly thought through. About a quarter disapproved of the plan, with one in 10 undecided.
Climate policy
Labor's climate plan could also reward moves to renewable energy, something set up by Mr Rudd. It needs to win back Greens voters and Labor supporters put off by the asylum seeker move, which had echoes of the Howard-era "Pacific solution".
But frontbenchers quoted anonymously by The Australian have said there would not be a carbon tax designed to bridge the gap until an emissions trading scheme (ETS) is introduced. Labor's plan on an ETS has been postponed until at least 2013.
The Labor figures who spoke to The Australian said moving to a new tax so close to an election would play into Tony Abbott's hands: "We can't do it".
Mr Abbott is expected to flesh out his climate policy soon. So far he has announced a plan for pollution targets with incentives to come in under them, but unlike Labor's plan there would be penalties if the targets were exceeded.
Mr Abbott also wants a 15,000-strong "green army" planting millions of trees. He is set to announce help for community groups to participate and go green themselves.
http://www.news.com.au/feature.....572997#ixzz0tPtVscDK
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