buzzanddidj wrote on Feb 6
th, 2012 at 11:05am:
As predicted ...
With it's "bender" over, Victoria eventually comes to - with a MASSIVE hangover - rubbing it's eyes, scratching it's head - and groaning ...
"WHAT THE F**K was I THINKING !"
Double blow
as Baillieu poll plunge puts party's support on a knife edge The Australian
April 30, 201212:00AM
VICTORIAN Premier Ted Baillieu's satisfaction rating has tumbled on state budget eve and his government would struggle to win an election, according to the latest Newspoll.
The Newspoll is a double blow for Mr Baillieu, showing he has slipped into negative territory on the crucial net satisfaction rating at the same time as Liberal Party support also has fallen.
Mr Baillieu's satisfaction rating has fallen 16 points since October and is down five points since February, reinforcing a trend of growing dissatisfaction with his premiership.
The number of people dissatisfied with the way Mr Baillieu is doing his job jumped seven points to 45 per cent this survey.
The Liberal Party primary vote dropped five points between surveys to 37 per cent and on a two-party-preferred basis the Coalition was 51 per cent to 49 per cent, putting Mr Baillieu's government in dangerous territory less than 18 months after winning power.
The poll results come as the government tomorrow will announce an $8.3 billion writedown in GST, stamp duty and payroll tax revenue over the budget's forward estimates.
Next financial year, the hit will be $2.2bn, suggesting tomorrow's budget will have to contain unpopular cuts to remain in surplus.
The March-April Newspoll also provides some rare positive news on the polling front for Labor leader Daniel Andrews, with his satisfaction rating climbing five points in the latest survey to 28 per cent - eight points shy of the Premier.
Mr Andrews also has a negative satisfaction rating but a large number of uncommitted voters.
While Mr Baillieu has a comfortable 23 point lead as preferred premier - 46 per cent to 23 per cent - the lead has plummeted nine points since the last survey.
The knife-edge two-party-preferred result is likely to have the twin effect of worrying the Coalition and buoying Labor, although senior ALP sources said there was a danger the opposition could be lulled into complacency.
Newspoll shows a marked increase in the Greens' primary vote since the 2010 election - up from 11.2 per cent to 17 per cent.
The Greens' vote climbed from 14 per cent to 17 per cent in the latest survey.
At 37 per cent per cent, the Liberal Party's primary vote is a point below its election result, when it won power with a one seat majority.
The Nationals increased their primary vote by two points to 5 per cent, still nearly two points below the election result.
The Coalition won government in 2010 with 51.6 per cent of the two-party-preferred vote, widening that lead to 57-43 per cent in the July-August Newspoll last year. This may well be the high water mark for the Coalition.
The latest survey was taken during a period of growing economic uncertainty in Victoria, fuelled by a high dollar, rising unemployment and restructuring of the manufacturing sector.
Mr Baillieu warned the Victorian Liberal Party's 154th State Council yesterday that tomorrow's budget would be tough and that his agenda was for long-term gains rather than a quick fix.
"It will be a tough budget in challenging economic times but it will be a responsible budget.
"There is no magic pudding. We can't have it all," he said.
Just as the number satisfied with Mr Baillieu's performance has fallen, his dissatisfaction rating has climbed the same amount during the same period, although nearly half of this was this year.
While Mr Andrews's satisfaction rating has climbed five points to 28 per cent, this appears to largely have come from previously uncommitted voters.
Mr Andrews said yesterday the government was a do-nothing administration.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/state-politics/double-blow-as-b...
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