newspoll latest libs lead now 10 pts !!!

Support for Labor has crashed again, collapsing to an eight-year, two-party-preferred low as Julia Gillard fights the Greens on "traditional values" and sticks by a carbon tax.

The latest Newspoll reveals backing for Tony Abbott and the Coalition has risen in the past fortnight, with the Opposition Leader making up ground to again trail Ms Gillard as preferred prime minister by only nine points.

During the past two weeks - as NSW Labor was wiped out at the state election and the Prime Minister targeted Greens' policies as extremist - federal Labor's primary vote fell from 36 per cent to 32 per cent and the Coalition's rose from 40 per cent to 45 per cent.

The Greens' support fell back to its 2010 election level of 12 per cent two weeks ago. The latest Newspoll, conducted exclusively for The Australian last weekend, reveals it has not shifted, despite the Greens picking up their first NSW lower house seat in the state election.

Based on preference flows at the last federal election, the Coalition has a 10-point lead over Labor on a two-party-preferred basis of 55 to 45 per cent. This is the Coalition's biggest lead after preferences and Labor's lowest two-party-preferred vote since April 2003, when Kim Beazley declared he wanted to take the Labor leadership because Simon Crean was not making any impact on the Howard government in the polls.

Labor's plunge in the latest Newspoll comes as former prime minister Kevin Rudd last night admitted he made the wrong call when he decided to shelve the federal government's emissions trading scheme last year - a move that ultimately led to his demise as Labor leader.

In an extraordinary breach of cabinet confidentiality, Mr Rudd told ABC's Q&A he was trying to find a compromise in a divided room, with some cabinet members arguing the ETS should be scrapped for good.

Asked why he delayed the scheme until 2013 despite calling climate change the greatest moral challenge of our time, Mr Rudd said he made a mistake. "The judgment I made then was wrong."

The latest Newspoll comes after two weeks during which Mr Abbott was at the centre of controversy over his appearance at an anti-carbon tax rally in Canberra, where he appeared in front of placards accusing Ms Gillard of being a "liar", a "witch" and a "bitch". Ms Gillard accused Mr Abbott of encouraging extremists and he was called on to apologise.

Mr Abbott yesterday continued to push his anti-carbon tax message as he stopped in Coffs Harbour on the NSW mid-north coast during the Pollie Pedal charity bike ride. He said he had discussed the burden of the tax with local business people who were worried about cost-of-living pressures.

Labor's primary vote, which jumped to 36 per cent two weeks ago from a record low of 30 per cent, has slumped again to 32 per cent. This is the same level as Labor's support after the summer parliamentary break and the flood and cyclone disasters.

The Coalition's primary vote rose from 40 per cent two weeks ago to 45 per cent, the same level it was after Ms Gillard announced her intention to break an election pledge and introduce a carbon tax from July 1 next year.

Since the last Newspoll survey, Ms Gillard has tried to distance her government from the alliance with the Greens, accusing them of extreme views and of not being a "party of government" that can make responsible economic decisions. Labor ministers have also attacked the Greens in NSW for backing a boycott of Israel.

Ms Gillard also announced a review of GST revenue-sharing for the states after complaints from NSW, Queensland, Victoria and Western Australia that they were not getting fair returns.

Mr Abbott also announced his intention to force people on the dole to take local, available unskilled jobs, such as fruit picking or cleaning, as part of a shift in Coalition policy.

Because the Greens' vote has not risen and Labor's has fallen, the two-party-preferred flows favour the Coalition.

Source : http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/carbon-plans-take-toll-on-labor-newspoll/story-fn59niix-1226033687740