NINE
months after being elected with a sweeping mandate to transform the
nation, Kevin Rudd risks losing the goodwill of the people.

While Labor's vote and the PM's ratings remain strong, a sense of disappointment is taking hold across the electorate.

Voters are looking for more flair from a leader who sometimes seems
to be going through the robotic motions of a clueless bureaucrat. There
is no panic from within the Government, of course.

Labor strategists say they are content , and the Coalition remains stuck in a leadership funk that may take months to resolve.

The only certainty in politics is that Brendan Nelson will not be
Liberal leader at the next poll. Beyond that, though, most things are
up for grabs.

Dangerously for Labor, anecdotal evidence suggests many punters question whether Rudd is living up to his pre-election hype.

While the conservative side of politics considers abandoning
economic credibility for populism, voters are growing wary - if not
weary - of the Rudd style.

The early, euphoric symbolism of ratifying Kyoto and saying Sorry is
being displaced by a harsh reality that Rudd is no messiah.

People are casting a wary eye towards his number of overseas trips, hinting he should spend more time on domestic matters.

Candidates in the field ahead of "Super Saturday" contests - the
West Australian state poll and two federal by-elections - are reporting
a general malaise.

Labor has cleverly decided not to run in Mayo or Lyne, knowing it has no chance of winning and wanting to minimise a backlash.

Coalition strategists have been surprised by this groundswell of discontent.

Another big swing against Labor in WA will only add to this perception, that the ALP is well past its high-water mark.

According to confidential Coalition research, the main hesitation is a perceived failure to implement its reform agenda.

"I liked his ideas before the election - they sounded really good, but he hasn't delivered," is a typical remark.

"Does not seem to have the answers," is another oft-repeated comment
in the research, as voters look for more from their "wordy, nerdy"
national leader.

"All talk and no action," sums up the mood.

The economic downturn has not helped, of course. Families are spending less and business confidence continues to lag.

The Government hopes interest rate relief will start to reverse plummeting sentiment.

But some in the community blame the Government, despite the best efforts of Wayne Swan and co to cut Budget spending.

Beyond this, Rudd's challenge is to turn around the view he's failed
to deliver on a core promise, to implement practical reforms to ease
pressure on family budgets.

Voters look for more than an endless procession of committees and reviews.

Rudd will have to act in a range of areas in order to win back the trust of the people.

He will have to raise the aged pension by a decent amount.

He will have to introduce practical measures to help families adjust to the challenge of climate change.

He will have to prove Labor can deliver on its promise to end the blame game and drive real reform across the Federation.

Otherwise, the "does not seem to have the answers" vibe resonating in the Coalition's research may take a more permanent hold.

And that would spell real danger for a Government not yet 10 months old.

Steve Lewis is national political correspondent