From The Geelong Advertiser

April 13th, 2009

By Sandra O'Malley, AAP

AS a time of renewal and redemption, both sides of politics may be able to take something away from the Easter season.

Kevin  Rudd is riding high in the opinion polls and nothing, it seems, can dent his popularity with the public. 
On the other hand, no matter what he does, Malcolm Turnbull can't seem to win over the voters. 

If you believe the latest Newspoll, which has Rudd's popularity heading skyward, the electorate didn't blink at revelations he made a RAAF flight attendant cry on a recent overseas trip. 

Rubbing shoulders with world leaders, including man of the moment US President Barack Obama, obviously hasn't done Rudd any harm. 

But it's the growing realisation the Australian leadership seems to have a better handle on dealing with the global economic turmoil that is keeping the voters satisfied, for the moment at least. 

Aside from the opposition, most commentators have given the government a thumbs up for its handling of the economic crisis, agreeing the situation would be worse if nothing had been done to stimulate the economy. 
And the public will welcome the bonus payments of up to $900 that will be arriving in the mail over the next few weeks. 
Of course, the economy will continue to play out over the coming months and years, and with uncertainty the only constant, no one knows when the tide of public opinion might turn. 

The big issue is jobs and already the government has had to contend with an unemployment rate growing faster than initially expected. 

In March unemployment jumped to 5.7 per cent, the highest level in more than five years and fast catching up to the predicted seven per cent jobless rate the government was tipping for mid next year. 

And the government hasn't been helped by a banking sector refusing to pass on the full complement of official interest rate cuts, blunting the impact monetary policy can have in keeping the economy afloat. 

Still the positives for Rudd, by and large, outweigh the negatives. 

If successful, the government's bold $43 billion plan to equip the nation with high-speed broadband will ensure Rudd's place in the history books. 

Such grand ideas have been the undoing of other leaders but, assuming it gets through the parliament, Rudd has the luxury of at least a few years before he will be held to account on his project. 

Malcolm Turnbull, though, could see the potential problems from the broadband policy a little earlier. Even if the coalition opposes the policy, Nationals Senate leader Barnaby Joyce has signalled he might be willing to back the plan through the parliament. 

If he does, it would further highlight the problems Turnbull and the Liberals are having in dealing themselves into the political and economic debate. 

Being in opposition is difficult at the best of times but even more so when the times are tough and the potential to be proactive is rare. 

By the time the budget comes around next month, the Opposition will be needing to show some signs of renewal to give it any real chance of traction in the electorate in the run-up to the 2010 federal election.