Coalition sees hope in the bush: poll

(AAP) - The opposition believes the bush will help deliver a turnaround in the fortunes of the coalition, claiming rural Australians are sick of being forgotten by the Rudd government.

Nationals leader Warren Truss has seized on the latest Newspoll, which shows support
for Labor slipping in NSW and flat in Queensland - the prime minister's home state.
On a two-party preferred basis, coalition support was at 49 per cent in non-capital
cities against 51 per cent for Labor, the report, published in Monday's Australian
newspaper, showed.
Mr Truss suggests this indicates a degree of resentment in regional Australia for
being left out of consideration on issues such as the emissions trading scheme
(ETS).
"Regional Australians have been prepared to give Rudd Labor a fair go, but their
patience has evaporated," he said in a statement.
"The disastrous emission trading scheme proposal is just the most glaring example of
how regional Australia has been betrayed - there are plenty of others."
While the poll may offer a ray of hope for Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull as he
returns to Australia on Tuesday, the coalition still has a sizeable battle ahead of
the next federal election.
Across the nation, Labor would have romped home if the election was held over the
past three months, with Labor taking 56 per cent of the vote against 44 per cent for
the coalition.
The biggest challenge facing Mr Turnbull remains the ETS, with significant divisions
within the coalition.
Deputy Liberal leader Julie Bishop on Monday continued to criticise the government
for pushing ahead with plans for the Senate to vote on an ETS in November - before a
key international meeting in December.
However, resources spokesman Ian Macfarlane, who will shepherd amendments on the
bill through the coalition party room, has acknowledged the need for the opposition
to work with the government on the legislation.
If the Senate blocks the proposed laws, which have already been knocked back once,
it will give the government a trigger for an early election.
The coalition, meanwhile, continues the process of bedding down candidates for when
voters next go to the polls.
Paul Fletcher will be the new high-profile candidate in the blue-ribbon seat of
Bradfield, once incumbent Brendan Nelson officially hands in his resignation.
Mr Fletcher, a dual British-Australian citizen, put in the paperwork on Monday to
give up his British citizenship.
Once Dr Nelson resigns, a date will be set for the by-election.
While opinion polls suggest the government would be a sure best to win the next
election, Labor's appetite for a contest could hinge on the interest rate outlook.
In testimony before a parliamentary committee, Reserve Bank governor Glenn Stevens
admitted interest rates would need to be lifted "at some point" from current 49-year
lows.
With economic data continuing to surprise on the upside, the market predicts the
bank could start lifting rates as early as next month.
Mr Stevens testimony could also be a headache for the coalition.
He gave the thumbs up for the government's stimulus strategy, which he said had
"materially" helped the economy.
The opposition, which believes the government pumped too much money into the
economy, doesn't necessarily agree.
"(There were) a whole range of issues that supported the Australian economy going
into the global downturn and ... that are working to ensure Australia emerges from
this downturn in better shape than virtually any comparable country," Ms Bishop
said.