Gillard, Brown have a good year: poll

Banks, miners, the Greens, Julia Gillard and Bob Brown have all had a good year,
which is more than can be said for former political leaders, a new survey suggests.
The weekly Essential Research online poll found 49 per cent of respondents
considered Prime Minister Julia Gillard had a good 2010, followed by Greens Leader
Bob Brown on 38 per cent.
The survey of 1050 respondents was divided as to whether Opposition Leader Tony
Abbott had a good year - 30 per cent voting good versus 33 per cent bad - while
former Liberal leader Malcolm Turnbull scored only 10 per cent in the good-year
stakes, while 43 per cent thought he had a bad one.
It was even worse for former prime minister Kevin Rudd - dumped as leader in June
and replaced by Ms Gillard - who also attracted a slim 10 per cent of those who
thought 2010 was a good year for him while 70 per cent believed it was bad.
Still, while Ms Gillard had a good year, her party apparently didn't, after scraping
home in the federal election to form a minority government.
Labor scored 21 per cent for having a good year, but 47 per cent thought it was a
bad one, while the Liberal Party attracted 33 per cent for a having a good 2010
versus 27 per cent who believed it was bad.
But topping the party rankings were the Greens, who increased their polling at the
election to hold the balance of power in the Senate from July next year and securing
a seat in the House of Representatives.
The survey showed 42 per cent thought the Greens had a good year while 21 per cent
thought it was bad.
Respondents were also asked which industry faired best during 2010.
Topping the bill were banks with 69 per cent, even though they have copped a lot of
flak on the way, followed by the mining industry on 57 per cent and large companies
and corporations on 44 per cent.
At the other end of the scale, the environment, small business and farming and
agriculture also scored just 14 per cent each.
The economy as a whole scored 41 per cent for having a good year.