This year has started very badly for Prime Minister Gillard with the latest poll showing that support for her government is at it’s lowest level on record – Labor 30% compared to the Liberal-National coalition 45% and with her parliamentary majority at just one seat, anything is possible.
She will also have to contend with Andrew Wilkie, waiting in the wings to wreak revenge on the PM for not following through on her promise to tackle poker machine reform.
Then we have the Australia Day fiasco when a member of her own staff tipped off Aboriginal protesters about Tony Abbott’s whereabouts, deliberately hoping for a confrontation that would embarrass him. But it all went horribly wrong, the PM's staffer got the sack and the Labor Party has egg all over its face – again.
Today, Simon Crean warned Labor must not change leaders again in a desperate attempt to increase popularity in the polls. The PM’s backers have started counting heads among MPs so they must be worried about a Kevin Rudd challenge. The rumour is that the powerful NSW right faction is not happy and are thinking that Kevin Rudd as leader could be the only way back, and out of 18 MPs, Ms Gillard now has only 5 behind her. Mr Rudd has eight MPs already commited with the remainder undecided.
Shadow Attorney-General George Brandis says the Opposition suspects a cover-up of the Australia Day riot and it’s clear they will be relentless is keeping it at the forefront of everyone's mind. And now they have a potential trump card - Mr Wilkie said it was "inconceivable" the PM's former adviser, Tony Hodges, acted alone.
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