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CANBERRA - Federal Labour leader Kevin Rudd has played down a new opinion poll showing him as preferred Prime Minister over John Howard for the first time.
Mr Rudd took a 10-point lead over Mr Howard in the Newspoll published in The Australian newspaper today.
Mr Rudd's approval rating has soared to 68 per cent -- a record for a federal opposition leader in the poll's 21-year history.
Fully 47 per cent of voters thought he would make the better Prime Minister, compared to 37 per cent for Mr Howard.
Senior government ministers have dismissed the poll, while Mr Rudd says it is too early to draw any conclusions.
"We've got nine months to go before the election. This fight has barely begun and we've got a long way to go still to earn the trust and respect of the Australian people," Mr Rudd told ABC radio.
Labour still had a "truckload" of hard work to do to give Australians a reason to vote for it, not just a reason to vote against Mr Howard, he said.
The opposition has maintained its strong lead over the government -- 54 per cent to 46 per cent on a two-party preferred basis.
But the coalition's primary vote improved to 41 per cent, up three percentage points from the last poll a fortnight ago.
Environment Minister Malcolm Turnbull said Mr Howard had done an extraordinary job leading the country.
"He's got new ideas, he's full of energy," Mr Turnbull told the Nine Network.
"I'm sure that when the time comes Australians will know that the best choice, the better choice is John Howard."
Treasurer Peter Costello said Mr Rudd had yet to really be tested in the electorate.
"The polls will come, the polls will go, I wouldn't regard that as final," Mr Costello told Macquarie Radio today.
"The hard questions have not yet been asked of him ... I think it will become a bit more difficult for Mr Rudd."
The election can be held any time between August this year and next January, but it is widely expected to be held in October or November.
- AAP
