Australia Labour Party's Popularity Ratings Plunge To Worst
Australia's Labour Party has felt the pangs of public dismay as its popularity plunged to its lowest, according to a survey conducted by Nielsen.
The uncertainty cast by the carbon tax on local consumers, which Prime Minister Julia Gillard targets to put into operation in July 2011, had been summarized in the results of a poll conducted by Nielsen and published on the Sydney Morning Herald on Monday.
According to the poll of some 1,400 voters across the country, the ruling Labour Party only got 39 percent of the approvals, while the opposition obtained 61 percent of the approval ratings of voting Australians.
The unpopularity of Ms Gillard has intensified as she remained steadfast in her plans that this is the best way forward for Australia.
The legislation planned will put a tax on the country's top 500 polluters led by the coal and mining sectors-the top exporters of Australia. The carbon tax will start on 1 July as planned by Ms Gillard and her Cabinet.
Reports from AFP said that Labour's primary, or first preference, vote, taking into account all parties, stands at just 26 percent - the lowest level for any major party in the poll's history, while just a third of voters approve of Ms Gillard's leadership.
Despite Ms Gillard launching an election-style road show to sell the carbon tax's merits to a sceptical public, blitzing television and radio across the nation, 53 percent of respondents felt they would be worse off if the tax pushes through in 2012.