www.timesofearth.com SYDNEY — Australia's federal election is set to be one of the closest in decades as support for the ruling Labor party and the conservative opposition coalition was evenly split a day before Saturday's vote, an opinion poll has shown. Julia Gillard, the Australian prime minister, is facing a strong challenge from her conservative rival, Tony Abbott, who is promising to cut immigration and spending. Gillard lost her slim lead a day before voting, which could turn her into one of the country's shortest-serving leaders. She became Australia's first female leader in June by toppling Kevin Rudd in a party room coup, a move that analysts say has created resentment among some voters. The Newspoll survey for The Australian newspaper showed voters were divided roughly 50-50 in their support between Gillard's Labor party and Abbott's Liberal-National coalition, once voting preferences were distributed. Around 41 per cent of voters put the opposition as their first choice against 38 per cent for Labor, with the remainder of votes allocated from smaller parties using a voter preference system. But Gillard, a Welsh-born lawyer, remained the preferred prime minister in the poll with 50 per cent of voters backing her, as opposed to 35 per cent for Abbott. The poll of 1600 voters was carried out on Tuesday and Wednesday, after a Newspoll at the weekend put Labor ahead by four percentage points. A Galaxy poll for the Herald Sun newspaper on Thursday gave Labor a 52 ...
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