The prospect of resounding defeat on 2013 continues to haunt the ruling Labor Party, according to the latest Newspoll survey, but key members brushed aside the ominous numbers and insisted the gloom will eventually disappear, soon.

The Australian reported on Wednesday that basing on the data gathered by Newspoll during the weekend, Labor will be humbled by the Liberal-National coalition, with the two widely separated by primary votes of 48 per cent and 29 per cent respectively.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard, the survey said, fell behind by seven points in the satisfaction department as she only mustered 28 per cent approval, down from 31 per cent, while Opposition Leader Tony Abbott lured 35 per cent of nods from voters, gaining by three points from the last survey.

"As Labor's primary vote remains below 30 per cent, the opposition leader has again pegged back Ms Gillard's standing as preferred prime minister, although both leaders continue to be punished by voters," the newspaper said on its report.

On the one hand, when survey participants were asked to mark Ms Gillard and Mr Abbot based on trustworthiness, likability, empathy with voters, strength and ability to manage the economy and national security, the prime minister only garnered 44 per cent of trust rating, coming from the 61 per cent that she enjoyed right after the 2010 national elections.

Mr Abbott, on the other hand, managed to stay on top of his opponent at 54 per cent but Newspoll noted that his trust rating actually retreated by four points, indicating that Aussies have somewhat grown sceptical on the two leaders' capability and sincerity.

The Coalition, nonetheless, welcomed the new survey as they led in every department, which further boosted the likelihood that a new government will come to power in 2013, or even sooner should Ms Gillard and her cohorts stumble prior to the election showdown.

Policies introduced by the Labor-led government were the main reason the party is slowly sinking, according to opposition legal affairs spokesman George Brandis.

Mr Brandis specifically pointed to the carbon tax, which was introduced in 2011 and will take effect July this year, as the one pulling down the current government.

"If you look at the lines in those polls, you saw about a year ago a very sharp decline in the government's support and in public respect for Julia Gillard," the opposition member told The Australian.

Federal Treasurer Wayne Swan, however, believes otherwise as he insisted that there would be a twist of fate once the new tax programs - both the mining and carbon taxes - start rolling out by mid-year.

Voters, Mr Swan said, have yet to witness the good side of carbon pricing and the mining tax, stressing that "long-term reform takes a long time ... and it doesn't actually fit into some short-term polling schedule or commentary."

Mr Swan is convinced that voters will eventually appreciate the fact that painful but necessary reforms "will secure our prosperity for the future," which he stressed is the key consideration of Labor's core government platform.