AUSTRALIA'S OPPOSITION PARTY GAINING POPULARITY
Australia's opposition coalition of
Liberal and National parties has closed the ruling Labour
party's three percentage point lead in the past month, a public
opinion poll published today said.
    The Morgan Gallup Poll showed both sides were level on 45.5
pct in a nation-wide poll of about 2,000 voters.
    It also showed public support was growing for Andrew
Peacock, who was dismissed as the opposition's foreign affairs
spokesman two days ago, although the poll was conducted a week
before he was removed.
    The survey, published in the Bulletin magazine, said 49 pct
of the voters wanted Peacock while only 18 pct supported
opposition leader John Howard.
    Peacock has said he may challenge Howard for the leadership
before the next elections due before April, 1988.
    Howard sacked Peacock as shadow foreign minister after
accusing him of undermining the leadership during a telephone
conversation with another party member.
    The car-telephone conversation was picked up by an
unidentified man using a radio scanner and published in the
Melbourne Sun newspaper.
 REUTER
