The Essential Report Archive Read the latest report

  • Oct, 2015

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    Roads vs public transport

    Q: Do you think it is more important to expand public transport or more important to build new roads and freeways?

      Total   Vote Labor Vote Lib/Nat Vote Greens Vote Other
    More important to expand public transport 56% 57% 52% 77% 52%
    More important to build roads and freeways 33% 34% 41% 18% 36%
    Don’t know 11% 9% 7% 5% 12%

    56% think that it is more important to expand public transport and 33% think it is more important to build roads and freeways.

    Those more supportive of expanding public transport were aged 18-24 (65%), people from Victoria (64%) and those with university education (66%).

    Those more supportive of building roads and freeways were aged 35-44 (40%) and people from Queensland (41%).

  • Oct, 2015

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    Building roads and freeways

    Q: Do you approve of paying tolls for new roads and freeways or do you think new roads and freeways should only be built if the Government can pay for them without charging tolls?

      Total   Vote Labor Vote Lib/Nat Vote Greens Vote Other
    Pay tolls for new roads/freeways 24% 23% 31% 21% 18%
    Only build new roads/freeways if Government can pay for them without tolls 64% 67% 59% 67% 74%
    Don’t know 12% 10% 10% 12% 8% 

    64% think that new roads and freeways should only be built if the Government can pay for them without charging tolls and 24% approve of paying tolls for new roads and freeways.

    Those most likely to approve paying tolls were aged 65+ (32%), earning $1,600+ pw (29%) and university educated (29%).

  • Apr, 2014

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    Selling Government-owned assets

    Q. Do you approve or disapprove of the Treasurer Joe Hockey’s proposal that State Governments sell their Government-owned assets (e.g. ports, rail, roads) to fund construction of new infrastructure?

     

    Total

     

    Vote Labor

    Vote Lib/Nat

    Vote Greens

    Vote other/ Indep-endent

    Total approve

    25%

     

    10%

    44%

    17%

    23%

    Total disapprove

    58%

     

    80%

    41%

    63%

    60%

    Strongly approve

    7%

    3%

    11%

    4%

    8%

    Approve

    18%

    7%

    33%

    13%

    15%

    Disapprove

    27%

    25%

    31%

    28%

    22%

    Strongly disapprove

    31%

    55%

    10%

    35%

    38%

    Don’t know

    18%

    11%

    16%

    19%

    16%

    58% disapprove of the Treasurer Joe Hockey’s proposal that State Governments sell their Government-owned to fund construction of new infrastructure and 25% approve.

    Labor voters (80%) and Greens voters (63%) strongly disapprove but Liberal/National voters are divided with 44% approve/41% disapprove.

  • Apr, 2013

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    Spending by a Liberal Government

    Q. If the Liberal Party won Government at the next election, do you think they would increase or decrease spending on the following areas or spend about the same as the Labor Government?

     

    Increase spending

    Decrease spending

    Spend about the same

    Don’t know

    Public schools

    22%

    30%

    33%

    15%

    Private schools

    28%

    27%

    28%

    16%

    Universities

    18%

    29%

    36%

    16%

    Support for manufacturing industries

    26%

    23%

    32%

    19%

    Pensions

    19%

    32%

    36%

    14%

    Welfare support

    12%

    45%

    28%

    14%

    Health and hospitals

    33%

    27%

    25%

    14%

    The environment

    11%

    39%

    34%

    16%

    Defence

    31%

    19%

    34%

    16%

    Foreign aid

    8%

    41%

    33%

    18%

    Public transport

    23%

    26%

    35%

    16%

    Roads

    26%

    22%

    36%

    16%

    Border security

    44%

    14%

    28%

    14%

    The arts

    7%

    40%

    32%

    21%

    Subsidies for business

    34%

    20%

    28%

    18%

    Overall, respondents were more likely to think a Liberal Government would reduce spending on welfare support, the arts, the environment, foreign aid, pensions, public schools and universities. They were more likely to think they would increase spending on  border security, defence and subsidies for business.

    Liberal voters thought a Liberal Government would be more likely to increase than decrease spending on public schools, manufacturing industries, pensions, public transport, health and hospitals, defence, roads, border security and subsidies for business.

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