Voters think Rudd has nasty streak: poll

Most voters believe Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is a strong leader but think he has a nasty streak if thwarted, a poll has found.

The Galaxy Research poll taken for News Ltd found 55 per cent of voters believe Mr Rudd is a strong leader, compared to just 27 per cent for Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull.

But 43 per cent of voters think Mr Rudd can be nasty if he doesn't get his way, compared with 31 per cent who believe the same of Mr Turnbull.

Mr Rudd is the best choice for the current economic climate for 51 per cent of voters, while Mr Turnbull was the choice of 33 per cent.

According to the poll, the government has maintained its lead with 55 per cent of the two-party preferred vote, compared to 45 per cent for the coalition.

It showed 17 per cent of voters would be less likely to vote for Labor if Mr Rudd calls an early election.

"Kevin Rudd continues to be perceived as the best leader although the poll suggests his recent behaviour may have removed some of the gloss," Galaxy Research chief executive David Briggs said.

The survey also found Mr Turnbull was considered less trustworthy than Mr Rudd, 23 per cent to 46 per cent, and more out of touch, 48 per cent to 29 per cent.

But 31 per cent of voters could not decide who they trusted the most.

Nationals senator Barnaby Joyce was unsurprised by the poll's findings.

"The guy's a psycho chook," he said of Mr Rudd.

"Who in their right mind gets onto a plane and because he doesn't get the right colour birdseed has a spack attack?"

Senator Joyce was referring to an incident aboard a RAAF VIP plane in which Mr Rudd reduced a steward to tears.

"This is a very peculiar man who is leading our country," he said, referring to claims the prime minister demanded a hair dryer while visiting troops in Afghanistan, and his inability to hang on to staff.

However, Senator Mark Arbib, one of Labor's parliamentary secretaries, said Australians understand that Mr Rudd was doing what was needed in the national interest.

"Kevin Rudd has admitted he's not perfect, and no one is," he told Sky News.

"He's not Mother Teresa, there's no doubt about that."

Coalition senator Mitch Fifield, meanwhile, defended Mr Turnbull's standing with voters, saying "to know Malcolm is to love him".

"He's never presented himself as Mother Teresa," he said, adding Labor had presented that image of Mr Rudd before the 2007 federal election.

"The people of Australia are starting to see the real Kevin Rudd."

There were some "worrying trends" for Labor in the poll's findings.

Labor backbencher Mark Butler said he hadn't met any perfect politicians yet.

"But the people I talk to around my electorate are pretty clear they don't want an altar boy as a prime minister," he told reporters.

Colleague Graham Perrett gushed about Mr Rudd's many good qualities, which included being funny and a great raconteur.

"He's one of the friendliest guys I've ever met," he said.

Labor MP Mark Dreyfus said he'd never seen the prime minister's rumoured temper.

"I've never seen steam coming out of Kevin Rudd's ears," he said.

But coalition frontbencher Tony Abbott said Australians were finally waking up to Mr Rudd's true colours.

"People who know him have always thought that the Milky Bar Kid image was a bit confected," he said.

Mr Rudd had a long way to go before he could be considered as strong a leader as former Liberal prime minister John Howard, Mr Abbott said.