bob katter suffers collapse in support

Bob Katter suffers collapse in support after Preference Deals With Labor.


Mr Katter conceded his party had a preference swap with Labor in the Senate and some key seats in Queensland.



The polling suggests Mr Katter will still win his seat, but his support has taken a massive hit since the last election and since the creation of his new party.

The LNP have pumped additional resources into the seat that was previously considered unwinnable and have also rolled out television ads attacking Mr Katter's party over a preference deal with Labor.

In a sign that Mr Katter could be vulnerable to attacks over his party's preference deal with Labor, the poll found 45 per cent of his constituents and 36 per cent of those already planning to vote for him were "not happy" about the deal.

Of those who said they were unhappy about the deal, 58 per cent of avowed Katter supporters and 76 per cent of all those polled said they "less likely to vote for Katter".

Analysis provided with the poll suggests this weak spot for Mr Katter could see his two party preferred vote slump to 50 per cent, giving the LNP a previously undreamed of chance of seizing the seat.

If the 58 per cent of Mr Katter's supporters follow through on their threat to change their vote because his preference deal, his primary would fall by a further 21 per cent.

"With Katter's vote at 32 per cent in the aided ballot, a 21 per cent reduction in this vote would bring it down to 25 per cent," the poll analysis says.

"Depending upon where these voters go and preference flows, it makes the 2PP calculation closer to a 50:50 contest."

The polling suggests the LNP sees potential to pick up votes in marginal seats by attacking Mr Katter and his candidates over deals with Labor.

Preference swaps between KAP and Labor in marginal seats where the minor party's vote is likely to be higher, such as Herbert and Capricornia, could help Labor candidates scrape across the line.

The LNP has already ramped up advertising that depicts a poker machine with Mr Katter's face switching to that of prime minister Kevin Rudd.

"This time don't gamble with your future because a vote for Katter is a vote for Labor," the ad says.

Mr Katter is threatening court action against the LNP because he says the ads are false and misleading.

The fledgling party leader said Opposition Leader Tony Abbott risked tarnishing the Coalition's expected victory with false advertising.

"Tony Abbott talks about honesty in government but he will blemish his victory,'' Mr Katter said.

Mr Katter took particular umbrage at a line in the ads alleging he was "backing Labor and the Greens" when he said his party was putting the Greens last.

Mr Katter conceded his party had a preference swap with Labor in the Senate and some key seats in Queensland.





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