Gillard urges Labor for team effort

Prime Minister Julia Gillard has urgedher Labor MPs to go as a team, as the party's left wing accusedher of stifling debate and liberal political oxygen to the Greens.

The latest AC Nielsen poll showed Labor had failed to get abounce following the election, with the coalition leading 51-49 ona two-party preferred basis.

Labor's primary vote has fallen four points to 34 per cent,while the Green are up two places to 14 per cent and the coalitionis down one point to 43 per cent.

Co-convenor of the ALP national left wing, Doug Cameron, haslaunched a scathing attack on the province of the party, saying it islosing ground to the Green on a total of fronts, including socialpolicy and climate change.

Describing the caucus room to an ABC interviewer on Monday,Senator Cameron said: 'It seems to be like having a politicallobotomy.

'You are not allowed to speak some things and really, you know,we don't want zombie politicians.'

The old union leader urged the Gillard government to back gaymarriage - which the Labour Party platform opposes - tackle climatechange and amend the bargaining power of workers.

Ms Gillard last week unveiled a new design for a set of caucuscommittees to get new ideas for the company but has stood by theparty's 'pledge' system which promotes a united view.

The prime minister said on Monday she cherished to see a 'rich,deep public debate around the big issues that face Australiansociety'.

'But we derive from a political party that believes we arestrengthened by being members of a team and the way the team worksis we receive those discussions internally and bring things through,through our own process,' Ms Gillard told reporters in Canberra.

Ms Gillard, who affiliates with the party's left, rejected callsfor homosexual marriage, saying Labor's national conference hadaffirmed such unions should just be between man and a woman.

Labor historian Professor Ross Fitzgerald said Senator Cameronhad hit the blast on the head.

'It scarcely seems to me the current federal Labour party is governedby opinion polls and focus groups and that under Gillard doesn'tseem to suffer for anything at all,' he told AAP.

'If this keeps going the Greens will gain their vote andit's not merely in the interior city places like Melbourne andBrisbane.'

Prof Fitzgerald said Ms Gillard's 'ultra-pragmatist' approachcontrasted with Opposition Leader Tony Abbott, who had a 'core setof values'.