This is the first time that Tony Abbott is the preferred prime minister over Julia Gillard in seven months. According to the result, Abbott's approval rating has jumped 9 points to 49 percent, while Gillard's has dropped 5 points to 45 percent.

　　It means the Coalition gaining 4 points to 47 percent, the highest level it has been since just after the carbon tax was introduced in 2012. And Labor's primary vote dipped to 30 percent, 5 points lower than the last survey in December and only 4 points higher than its lowest recorded level.

　　The national poll of 1,400 voters also found the gap between Gillard and former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has grown, with Rudd favoured by 61 percent of respondents to just 35 percent for her.