The Newspoll, published in The Australian newspaper on Monday, has the government holding a 10 point two-party preferred lead - at 55-45 - over the opposition.
The result is at odds with two Galaxy polls at the weekend, one showing Labor and the coalition tied on 50-50 and the other having the government ahead 52-48.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard, who is heading to Townsville to campaign in the marginal Liberal seat of Herbert, played down the Newspoll result.
"There will be many, many polls between now and election day but I'm not looking the polls," she told ABC Radio.
"What I know is that this election is genuinely on a knife-edge."
Opposition Leader Tony Abbott, who is in Melbourne, admitted he had some hard work to do to make up ground on Labor.
"It's always tough to beat a first-term government, but I'm looking at the field evidence," he told the Nine Network on Monday.
"For three years we've had a government which has been more talk than action and the last three weeks of the government under Julia Gillard has been the most chaotic and shambolic of all."
In all the published polls since Saturday, Ms Gillard holds a big lead over Mr Abbott as preferred prime minister, findings dismissed by opposition frontbencher Scott Morrison.
"It's not MasterChef," he told ABC Radio.
But Ms Gillard's chance of remaining prime minister following the election have been assisted greatly by a deal with the Greens on preferences.
Labor has confirmed the agreement will give the government crucial Greens preferences for lower house seats.
In return Labor will direct preferences to the Greens in the upper house, paving the way for the minor party to hold the balance of power in the Senate in its own right from July 1, 2011.
Greens leader Bob Brown also confirmed the deal and said details would be announced later on Monday.
