Photo: On the slide: Kevin Rudd's popularity among voters is dipping according to the latest poll. (AAP: Dan Peled)
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Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has begun a blitzkrieg of electorates and the media this morning, telling voters to "listen to your instincts" and don't vote for Tony Abbott.
The Opposition Leader has, for the first time, overtaken Mr Rudd as preferred prime minister in today's Newspoll, published by News Corp Australia, leading 43 points to 41.
With less than a week to go in the campaign, the Coalition has retained its winning lead on a two-party preferred basis, 54 per cent to 46.
And, in a grim blow to the ALP's chances, its primary vote has fallen to a new low under Mr Rudd's leadership, slumping four points to 33.
In a series of morning interviews, the Prime Minister has insisted Labor could still win on Saturday.
"We entered this campaign as the underdog, we remain the underdog so let's just call a spade a spade - that's as it is," he told Channel 7.
He told ABC News Breakfast that "anyone who thinks that this is done and dusted I don't think has a very clear grip on Australian political history".
And on Channel 9, he warned voters: "If you're uncertain about what Mr Abbott's putting out there then I think listen to your instincts and don't vote for him".
Is it too late for Labor? Or will there be a turnaround before Saturday's election? Have your say.
According to the poll figures, Independents and minor parties appear to have benefitted from Labor's drop in primary support.
Analysis: Rudd keeping it simple
Dissatisfaction with both leaders remains high, with Mr Rudd's rating up six points to 58, and Mr Abbott's up two points to 51.
Satisfaction with Mr Abbott sits at 41; it is much lower with Mr Rudd at 32 points.
The margin of error for the poll is 3 per cent.
The latest poll figures were released just hours after Mr Rudd officially launched Labor's campaign yesterday, with a plea to voters to choose the ALP to save jobs and protect family budgets from Mr Abbott's cuts.
This morning, Mr Rudd also targeted his opponent's use of the phrase "baddies versus baddies" to describe the civil war in Syria, slamming it as "simplistic".
"Mr Abbott as prime minister would be required to make these complex policy calls on war and peace and to reduce it to the simplicity of goodies and baddies, for goodness sake," Mr Rudd said.
"It goes back to a question of Mr Abbott's judgement. It's judgement, judgement and judgement ... if you have doubts about his judgement, don't vote for him."
Yesterday on ABCTV's Insiders program, Mr Abbott said it would be preferable for a political solution to be found, rather than a military one, but he did not think that was likely.
"We've got a civil war going on in that benighted country between two pretty unsavoury sides. It's not goodies versus baddies - it's baddies versus baddies," he said.
This morning, Mr Abbott's treasury spokesman, Joe Hockey, defended his leader's language with an attack on Mr Rudd's.
"Kevin Rudd's a complete hypocrite," he said.
"Tony Abbott is using the same language as Barack Obama.
"I'll tell you the language you shouldn't use - the language you shouldn't use is the language Kevin Rudd used about the Chinese at Copenhagen."
It was reported that Mr Rudd, in private remarks to a group of journalists and aides, accused the Chinese delegation at the Copenhagen climate change conference in December 2009 of "trying to ratf--- us".
Newspoll results since PM Kevin Rudd's return
Date
Labor primary
Coalition primary
Two-party preferred
(Labor/Coalition)Aug 30-Sep 1
33
46
46/54
August 23-25
37
47
47/53
August 16-18
37
47
46/54
August 9-11
35
46
48/52
August 2-4
37
44
48/52
July 19-21
37
45
48/52
July 5-7
38
42
50/50
June 28-30 (PM Rudd)
35
43
49/51
June 21-23 (PM Gillard)
29
48
43/57
2010 Election
38
43.6
50.1/49.9
*Source: Newspoll.com.au
Abbott will release Coalition spending cuts by Thursday
Mr Hockey has also sought to dismiss Labor pressure over when the Coalition would release its final costings.
"Can we get over this, sort of Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday stuff?" he said.
"Whenever we release numbers, Labor responds poorly, gets it wrong, and it ends up in tears for Labor.
"So let's just get over that for the moment and focus on the announcements, like $53 million for a road widening today."
Mr Abbott has promised to release the full list of Coalition spending cuts by Thursday, saying it will include "relatively modest" additional budget savings that will not be popular with everyone.
If the details are published after Wednesday, it will be during the electronic media black-out period, when parties are banned from buying space on TV and radio for political advertising
