Bligh a 'toxic liability' for Gillard

The QLD opposition have labelled Anna Bligh as a "toxic" liability in the lead-up to the election.

AAP

Poll

Who is your preferred Prime Minister?

This poll ended on 05 September 2010.

Julia Gillard

27%

Tony Abbott

49%

Bob Brown

5%

None of the above

8%

Bring back Kevin Rudd

9%

This is not a scientific poll. The results reflect only the opinions of those who chose to participate.

THE Queensland opposition says it's no surprise Julia Gillard's campaign advisers want to keep the prime minister away from "toxic" Labor Premier Anna Bligh.

Ms Bligh is due to take on the job of Labor Party national president on August 1, 20 days before voters go to the polls to decide if Ms Gillard should remain prime minister.

But with the Queensland premier deeply unpopular, according to recent polls, senior Labor figures are looking at ways to delay her presidency, The Courier Mail reports.

Ms Bligh was showing up in party polling as a strong negative for the federal campaign and one option under consideration was to delay her presidency by a year, the paper said.

Acting Queensland Opposition Leader Lawrence Springborg said Labor's election strategists would be "horrified" by the prospect of Ms Gillard being anywhere near Ms Bligh during the campaign.

"Anna Bligh is a toxic, and living, breathing reminder of a Labor leader who will do and say anything to win an election and then do the complete opposite afterwards," he said.

"They wouldn't want that insinuation anywhere near the federal campaign.

"I think there's no doubt that the Labor Party is desperate not only to push her back (from the presidency), but a growing number are desperate to push her out."

Mr Springborg said former prime minister Kevin Rudd was rolled on the back of opinion polls that were far rosier than Ms Bligh's most recent showings.

A June Galaxy poll indicated 69 per cent of Queensland voters were dissatisfied with Ms Bligh's performance.

A spokesman for the premier told the ABC on Wednesday that Ms Bligh would still take over the presidency on August 1 but would not chair her first meeting in the role until November.