Rudd continues to surge

Labor has taken a huge lead over the Government despite pressure on Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd over his meetings with Brian Burke.

The ALP has moved to an extraordinary 61-39 per cent two-party lead — its biggest since this measure was included in the late 1980s — and a 50 per cent primary vote. If the results were replicated in the election this year, it would cause a near wipe-out for the Coalition.

Mr Rudd has hit another record high approval for an Opposition leader — 67 per cent — and opened a 14-point advantage over John Howard as preferred prime minister in the ACNielsen/Agepoll taken from Thursday to Saturday.

Labor's primary vote is the highest since April 1993, just after Paul Keating's election win. Mr Rudd's preferred-PM margin is the biggest of any Opposition leader since Mr Howard became Prime Minister. The previous Opposition leader to have such a big lead was Mr Howard — 16 points ahead of Mr Keating in March 1995.

The Government attack over Mr Rudd's meeting Mr Burke, the disgraced former WA premier, in 2005 appears to have fizzled — 83 per cent said learning of the meetings had not changed their view of Mr Rudd.