Rudd ramps up appeal to the left

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has finetuned his rhetoric on asylum seekers and the
mining tax in an effort to win back the left, with the latest Newspoll indicating
Labor bleeding support to the Australian Greens.
As opinion polls pointed to the Greens as the biggest beneficiary of growing public
dissatisfaction with both Labor and the coalition, Mr Rudd vowed he would not
indulge in a "race to the bottom" on border protection and signalled he would stand
up to the mining lobby.
Newspoll, published in The Australian newspaper on Tuesday, had primary support for
Labor dropping two points to 35 per cent.
But rather than the coalition benefiting from dwindling support for Labor, it too
lost ground.
The Greens' primary vote jumped four points to a record high of 16 per cent.
It was in this environment Mr Rudd held a formal media conference in Canberra - his
first for nearly three months - to declare Labor would not be giving in to the
mining industry, which was vehemently opposed to the proposed tax on super profits.
"I wish to emphasise that the government remains fully committed to a resource super
profits tax," he told reporters.
The mining industry, he warned, would dig deep into its pockets to run a campaign of
misinformation.
"Frankly we are not just going to declare the field vacant, we are going to join the
battle," he said.
And he tried to seize the moral high ground on asylum seeker policy after the
coalition last week signalled a return to Pacific Solution-style processing.
"We're not going to be party to some fear campaign run by the Liberal Party in the
community about asylum seekers," Mr Rudd pledged.
"We're not going to engage in some sort of race to the bottom ... which seems to be
being embarked upon by the leader of the opposition."
Mr Rudd earlier told caucus there was "disappointment" with the government within
the community.
But he said neither was the opposition in "a position of strength".
"This presents challenges to government but also opportunities to increase our level
of support," Mr Rudd told his team.
Despite some MPs indicating a degree of fear and unease within the community on the
asylum seeker issue, Mr Rudd argued it was Labor's job to provide a fair and
balanced policy.
"We will not be seeking to outflank the opposition on the right on either rhetoric
or substance," he said.
While the majority of Green preferences would be expected to go to Labor, the third
party could present a real challenge for the government in some seats, such as
Finance Minister Lindsay Tanner's electorate of Melbourne.
In recent months, the progressive side of Labor has been let down by the
government's decision to delay an emissions trading scheme and its suspension of
processing for Afghan and Sri Lankan asylum seekers.
It has compounded a broader dissatisfaction with Labor in the wider community.
Despite the coalition's move to the right under Tony Abbott, it obviously believes
it too has a chance with those voters seeking out the Greens because of their
dissatisfaction with both major parties.
Nationals' leader Warren Truss told a joint party room meeting the 16 per cent vote
for the Greens was made up of many people who had parked their vote there while
making up their mind before election day.
"The election will be decided by how many drive on into the coalition camp or
reverse back into Labor," he said.