SYDNEY: An Australian opposition leader battling a scandal over
his drunken visit to a US strip club still has a winning margin
over Prime Minister John Howard, an opinion poll released Tuesday
said.
The poll published in The Australian newspaper showed Kevin Rudd
had extended his lead as preferred prime minister to 46 per cent
against 39 per cent for Howard, who was hurt by an interest rate
hike this month.
The telephone survey of 1,152 voters was taken over three days
between last Friday and Sunday, when newspapers revealed a boozy
visit to a New York strip club that Rudd made four years ago on a
taxpayer-funded trip to the United Nations.
While Rudd this week said he expected his alcohol-fuelled escapade
to damage his standing, the early evidence provided by the
Australian's survey appeared to show voters were more concerned
about the economy.
The poll showed Rudd's centre-left Labour Party leading the ruling
Liberal-National coalition 55 points to 45 on a two-party-preferred
basis, which strips out the influence of minor parties.
A separate poll in the newspaper showed the number of voters who
believed the coalition was best equipped to handle the economy had
dropped from 53 to 47 per cent in recent weeks, eroding one of
Howard's key advantages.
Howard, who campaigned on the platform "keeping interest rates low"
at the last election in October 2004, said the poll backlash was
inevitable after the Reserve Bank last month lifted rates 0.25
points to 6.5 per cent.
But the prime minister said there was plenty of time to turn his
fortunes around before a national election expected before year's
end.
"This election has only just begun," Howard told the Australian
Broadcasting Corporation.
"The history of elections in this country shows time and time again
there are enormous changes often between how the public judges
people this far out from an election and on actual election
day.
"I have little doubt that as we get closer to the election, the
polls will alter."
Howard said he had no idea who leaked the story of Rudd's strip
club sojourn and said politicians' private lives should not become
public fodder unless they directly impinged on their ability to
carry out their duties.
He said he would urge his colleagues to concentrate on attacking
Rudd's economic credentials.
"My constant injunction to my colleagues is attack and expose Mr
Rudd's lack of an economic plan for Australia's future," he said.
"That is what is relevant as far as I'm concerned." - AFP/ac
