Australian Labor party to lose with worst results if elections held

Sydney, Apr 23 (ANI): The Australian Labor Party would lose with worst result in both the houses if elections were held now, giving Tony Abbott control of the upper house as well as the lower, according to a report.

A senior Labor strategist using the latest Herald-Nielsen polling results and projecting them onto a Senate election conducted the analysis, The Sydney Morning Herald reports.

The Herald's researcher, Nielsen's John Stirton, said the analysis was a legitimate use of Nielsen polling data, but represented 'a worst-case scenario rather than the most likely scenario'.

The analysis showed that among the nine Labor senators who would probably lose their seats included the Finance Minister, Penny Wong, and convener of the Left faction, Doug Cameron.

With the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Peter Slipper, standing aside, the government is again forced to survive on the narrowest possible margin.

The analysis revealed that in a chamber of 76, the projected result would shrink Labor's Senate strength from 31 seats to 22 or 23. The Greens would increase from nine to 12.

Therefore, the combined total of Labor and Greens, the now-governing coalition, would go from a majority of 40 to a minority of 34 or 35. The Coalition's numbers would swell from 34 to 38 or 39.

The fringe parties and independents would hold three seats instead of the present two, as Bob Katter's Australian Party would win a seat in Queensland. (ANI)