Poll shows Govt under pressure on petrol prices.


A new opinion poll shows rising petrol prices could be hurting the Federal Government, with support for the Coalition down on the previous month.
The AC Nielson poll published in Fairfax newspapers shows Labor ahead of the Coalition, 53 per cent to 47 per cent on a two-party preferred basis.
The Coalition's primary vote is also down one point to 42 per cent, while Labor remains steady on 41 per cent.
John Howard remains the preferred prime minister, up one to 54 per cent.
Opposition Leader Kim Beazley has not fared so well, dropping three points to 35 per cent.
The poll also covered the issue of interest rates, bringing more bad news for the Government - 62 per cent of voters did not believe the Government's warning that interest rates would be higher under a Labor government.
The Government remains ahead on the question of which party would best manage the economy, but it has dropped nine points since August 2004, while Labor has picked up five.
The ALP is at 33 per cent, compared to 54 per cent for the Government.
The poll found petrol prices are taking their toll on Government's popularity, with 75 per cent of voters dissatisfied with the Coalition's response to the problem.
LPG subsidy
Mr Howard is today expected to announce subsidies to encourage people to convert their cars from petrol to LPG.
The Federal Government has been under pressure to help motorists cope with rising petrol prices and has ruled out cutting excise.
But the Federal Opposition says the Government needs to do more than focus on LPG if it is to give long-term help to motorists.
Labor's resources spokesman, Martin Ferguson, says the Government is still relying too heavily on being able to import oil from the Middle East.
He says there is too much focus on exporting gas to China rather than ensuring it is available for domestic use.
"What about the Prime Minister putting in place a regime which encourages in Australia, not just guaranteeing LNG to Shanghai, but also gas to liquids, diesel in Australia and also coal to liquids," he said.
"Let's start talking about Australia's transport security.
"The Prime Minister seems more concerned about supplying Shanghai than Sydney, Melbourne, Roma, Mount Isa or any other capital city or country town in Australia."
Demand concerns
Motor Trade Association spokesman Peter Fitzpatrick says the Western Australian automotive industry could struggle to meet demand for gas conversions.
"Well there's the problem that we have at the moment is that there is a chronic shortage of people who are able do the gas conversion," he said.
"It will take some time before the industry gears up to meet what will be an unprecedented demand for gas conversions over the next few months, I would imagine."