Speculation intensified on Wednesday that Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard could be toppled by her party within days, with one report saying ex-leader Kevin Rudd was five votes from victory.
The Australian Financial Review said Gillard, the nation’s first woman leader, was lagging so badly in opinion polls that even her more strident supporters doubted she could win the September 14 national election.
It said three senior sources had confirmed momentum was moving towards Rudd, who was suddenly ousted in a party room coup in mid-2010, less than three years after he swept Labor to power over the conservatives.
The paper said one supporter, asked whether Gillard could maintain her position, replied: “It’s hard to see.”
Gillard has been dogged by speculation about her leadership for weeks, with the latest rumours fed by a government decision to try and introduce media reforms which the industry has united to fiercely oppose.
Former Labor leader Simon Crean admitted on Tuesday that the handling of the media legislation - which includes stronger self-regulation requirements for the print media - could have been done better.
“I hope it is another lesson to all of us about the right way to do things,” he said.