Tue, September 14, 2010
CANBERRA, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- Almost a month after one of the tightest elections in Australian political history, the nation remains split down the middle in terms of support for the coalition and Labor Party, a latest poll published on Tuesday showed.
The Newspoll poll, published in The Australian newspaper on Tuesday has Labor and the Coalition locked at 50-50 on a two-party preferred basis.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard leads Opposition Leader Tony Abbott in the preferred prime minister stakes, 50 percent to 34 percent.
The poll also found 48 percent of voters agreed with the formation of a minority Labor government, compared to 36 percent who did not. But an overwhelming 59 percent believe the Government will not serve a full term.
The poll also showed support for both major political parties has fallen since the election, with a shift towards the Greens.
Labor's primary vote dropped from 38 percent at the August 21 election to 34 percent last weekend.
The Coalition's primary vote, meanwhile, fell from 43.6 percent to 41 percent over the same period. The Greens and other category candidates saw a combined increase in the primary vote of about eight percent.
The primary vote for the Greens rose from 11.8 percent on election day to 14 percent, while the primary vote for others jumped from 6.6 percent to 11 percent.
Meanwhile, a poll published on Monday by Essential Research also showed the coalition and Labor both on 50 percent in terms of the two-party preferred vote.
