Prime Minister Julia Gillard appears to be regaining momentum among voters in specific areas across Australia, latest survey said, but not enough to turn back the spectre of defeat if elections were held shortly.

In a new Newspoll survey commissioned by The Australian, the past few months turned out well for Gillard as she was able to win back crucial support from female and senior voters, with her approval surge especially notable in Victoria, her home turf.

Yet the gains, the survey stressed, would fall short of securing a sure win for the Australian Labor Party as the data gathered indicate that the ruling party stands to lose important seats from Queensland, New South Wales and even Victoria.

ALP's support came stronger from South Australia and Western Australia, the Newspoll data showed, yet those numbers will not prevent a setback for Gillard as her colleagues are projected to lose their seats come the next election, some 17 of them, The Australian wrote.

After lagging too far behind during the half of the year, Labor, according to Newspoll, mustered enough strength in the final stretches of October through December, gaining the most in Victoria and South Australia with an addition to its primary votes of 20 percent.

The Australian underscored also that Gillard regained holiday favours from her home bases in Adelaide and Victoria, two places that saw the prime minister in her formative years and with the latter now serving as her base.

Yet overall, the Christmas gains were not enough for the ALP to ensure a victory as the Coalition maintains its edge in more states, with the survey giving the Liberals and its allies clear edge in Queensland, NSW and other key states.

The emerging trend, according to The Australian, is either the ALP will give a close fight in some areas or the Coalition will rousingly defeat Gillard's party.

The main consolation for Gillard is the solid gains that the new poll showed, with support for her governance rising in many areas and in voters' segment, including improving sentiments coming from male and female voters.

As Gillard piles up her approval by as many as five points in Western Australia and Queensland, Opposition Leader Tony Abbott still enjoys considerable overall lead over her, with edges recorded in every state polled.

Abbott averages a wide lead, even 10 points in Queensland's case, that he was projected to win if elections were held today, the survey said.

But the most notable indication, The Australian said, is the gain posted by Gillard among the female voters, with the new survey placing her nine points ahead of Abbott at 42 percent, as against to the latter's 33 percent.