FED:Labor faces damage over cabinet leaks

AAP General News (Australia)
02-14-2011
FED:Labor faces damage over cabinet leaks

CANBERRA, Feb 14 AAP - A Labor strategist has warned federal cabinet leaks could soon
start to damage the government if not plugged.

The warning came as the latest Nielsen opinion poll published in Fairfax newspapers
showed the coalition holding an election-winning 54-46 per cent two-party preferred lead
over Labor.

Labor's primary vote stands at 32 per cent to the coalition's 46 per cent, with the
Greens on 12 per cent.

ALP strategist Bruce Hawker said the media leak alleging a Kevin Rudd "dummy spit"

in cabinet over the decision to dump his 2010 health deal had not been helpful for Prime
Minister Julia Gillard.

"Leaking ships sometimes sink and I think we need to be very, very careful that people,
for self-indulgent reasons, don't damage the government," Mr Hawker told Sky News.

"It is not a good thing to do and it should be stomped on from a great height."

Mr Hawker said it had been a tough few months for the government, and polling was unlikely
to shift Labor's way in the short term.

But he said policy victories such as the health deal with the states reached on Sunday
would be beneficial.

"It will take a while for it to flow through (to opinion polls)," he said.

Ms Gillard said voters expected to see governments deliver on promises.

"We've got a lot of hard work to do," she told Sky News.

Opposition frontbencher Peter Dutton said the polls showed voters did not believe Labor
was delivering on its promises.

"People have become more frustrated by the backflips and the lack of delivery not just
by Julia Gillard but by her ministers," Mr Dutton told reporters in Canberra.

"I think as Julia Gillard's time as prime minister goes on, people will realise that
this is a prime minister that just can't deliver."

AAP pjo/was/msk

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