FED: Turnbull takes big hit in new polls
29 Jun 2009 2:34 AM
Subject: FED: Turnbull takes big hit in new polls FED: Turnbull takes big hit in new polls
SYDNEY, June 29 AAP - Three new polls show the OzCar scandal has slashed support for Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull and the Coalition.
The latest Newspoll, conducted for The Australian, shows Mr Turnbull has suffered the biggest drop in voter support in the poll's 25-year history, with voter satisfaction crashing from 44 per cent to 25 per cent since mid-June.
Some senior Liberal Party members have told The Australian that if parliament had been sitting this week there would have been moves to replace Mr Turnbull with Coalition Treasury Spokesman Joe Hockey.
However, Kevin Rudd has not gained from Mr Turnbull's loss .. with the Prime Minister's satisfaction rating rising just one percentage point to 59 per cent.
Meanwhile, the latest Nielsen poll, published in Fairfax newspapers on Monday, also shows a sharp decline in voter support for Mr Turnbull.
His approval rating sank from 43 per cent to 32 per cent, while Mr Rudd's approval rating rose three points to 67 per cent.
And a Galaxy poll, published in News Ltd newspapers on Monday, found 51 per cent of people questioned believed that Mr Turnbull had been dishonest or somewhat deceitful over the controversy.
However, 61 per cent of voters believed Mr Rudd had been open and honest or, at worst, economical with the truth.
Mr Turnbull earlier this month called for Mr Rudd's resignation over allegations he provided assistance for a Brisbane car dealer and Labor donor to access the tax-funded OzCar scheme.
An email leaked to the media allegedly linking Mr Rudd to such actions turned out to be a forgery.
AAP vpm/psm/ao
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FED: Turnbull takes big hit in new polls