Rudd most popular PM in 20yrs: poll
Updated
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is Australia's most popular Prime Minister in more than 20 years, according to a Newspoll published in today's Australian newspaper.
Mr Rudd was the preferred Prime Minister for 70 per cent of voters, the highest reading since Newspoll began its surveys in 1987.
But support for Federal Opposition Leader Brendan Nelson as preferred prime minister has dropped to a new low of nine per cent, according the poll.
On a two-party preferred basis, Labor has slipped 1 point to win 57 per cent of the Newspoll vote.
The poll also found that nearly 70 per cent of voters supported last week's apology to the Stolen Generations.
'Feeling the pain'
Former federal director of the Liberal Party and now Opposition MP Andrew Robb says the party is still feeling the pain of last year's election loss.
"It's a reflection of the size and the nature of the loss we've just experienced," he said.
"It would also reflect the saturation coverage last week of the apology. It's a result that just further reinforces the need for us to get back to the basics."
Opposition frontbencher Nick Minchin told ABC NewsRadio he is not surprised by the Newspoll results.
"Fortunately the next election is nearly three years away the Government is obviously going through a honeymoon," he said.
"Newly elected governments go through this sort of honeymoon and with the apology, the Prime Minister has received enormous publicity.
"In a sense this poll is not a surprise, but we've got a lot of work to do to make sure we're competitive in 2010."
Topics: federal-government, government-and-politics, australia
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