Labor poll bump, Google Oz boss wants 'Silicon Beach'

Labor poll bump. Prime Minister Julia Gillard finally got some good news over breakfast this morning after a horror few weeks, as fresh polling numbers registered a bump in support for her embattled federal government.

Newspoll registered a jump in JG's satisfcation numbers to lead Tony Abbott as preferred prime minister 40% to 37%. Labor's primary vote also went up two points from 30% to 32%, while the Coalition was steady on 46%.

Labor MPs were out and about this morning selling the numbers as a reflection on Tony Abbott's negativity. The Opposition Leader has been relentless in his pursuit of embattled former MP Craig Thomson.

"I do believe it is true if you are constantly negative then you get marked down," Human Services Minister Brendan O'Connor O'Connor told Sky News.

Power to the people. Meanwhile, actually translating that poll number into an accurate showing at next year's federal election may be a tough ask, after the AEC raised concerns that 1.5 million people were missing from the electoral roll.

Young people were identified as one of the key groups that were under enrolled, with one in two 18 to 19-year-olds not signed up.

Electoral commissioner Ed Killesteyn told the Sydney Morning Herald that the number of missing voters grew to 8% last decade, and about 10% this year. Traditionally, that number is closer to 5%.

''What we're finding is that that number, that absolute number, is growing but as a percentage it's also growing," she said.

Leeder wants us to be a tech leader. When Google's Oz boss Nick Leeder talks, people listen. So we wouldn't be surprised if his idea of turning Sydney into a "Silicon Beach" gets some serious consideration.

Leeder, who made our Digital Media list and gets a guernsey on plenty of other power lists around town, made the comments at a City of Sydney innovation event at the State Theatre last night. Leeder said more needed to be done to encourage tech start-ups.

"Just as New York created Silicon Alley and that entered into the lexicon, I think that should be an ambition for us," he said, according to a Fairfax report.