Newspoll wasn't all good news for Labor.

But it was even worse news for Tony Abbott, who, after a concerted effort, has finally overtaken Mark Latham as the most unpopular Opposition Leader in living memory.

The dramatic improvement in Julia Gillard's personal ratings provided a much needed shot in the arm for a prime minister who can no longer be described as "embattled".

At the end of the parliamentary year, the PM can look back on a year of enormous achievement.

Tony Abbott, on the other hand, can look back on a year of relentless negativity and zero policy wins.

Gillard has taken action on climate change - Abbott said no.

She has voted to increase the superannuation guarantee - and Abbott said no.

She has acted to ensure that all Australians are beneficiaries of the mining boom, not just billionaire mining bosses - and Abbott said no.

She has taken action to ensure that the vast majority of Australians will benefit, yes benefit, from the carbon tax - and still Abbott said no.

In fact he has said "no" so many times that this week a book was published called The Little Book of No, containing all the times Abbott said "no". It's a great read if you enjoy the politics of negativity.

On all the major issues of the year, Tony Abbott was the loser.

It must be depressing for him.

Sure, for a while there - a good seven months - the Opposition Leader was riding high in the polls.

But Labor has been slowly chipping away and now nobody could say the Coalition has an insurmountable lead. And just as Abbott couldn't convince the independents to make him prime minister in September 2010, he similarly couldn't convince them to change sides one single time.

Even as their own polling fell off a cliff, they still wouldn't try to save their own skins by giving in to the negativity and scaremongering of the opposition. And now a member of Abbott's own party has jumped ship to become the Speaker of the House, denying Abbott yet another vote.

These victories, holding together a minority government and increasing her votes on the floor of the house, are a measure of the remarkable leadership skills of Julia Gillard.

In the face of unrelenting negativity from the Opposition leader, she stuck to her guns and calmly went about delivering on the things she said she would.

It's funny that the only people who seem to want to vote for Abbott are the people who don't personally know him. You have to start to wonder how long it will be before the Liberal Party starts casting about for a new leader.

Because the strategy of Tony Abbott and his office to oppose everything and stand for nothing was a little misguided.

But as the dust settles and the opposition looks down the barrel of another two years of Abbott shutting down debate in the party room, the shine may finally be wearing off the man they call Dr No.

Paul Howes is head of the Australian Workers Union