Do you think Australia’s gun laws are too strict, too weak or about right?
| Total | Vote Labor | Vote Lib/Nat | Vote Greens | Vote Other | ||
| Too strict | 7% | 5% | 4% | 9% | 15% | |
| Too weak | 25% | 21% | 27% | 30% | 29% | |
| About right | 62% | 66% | 66% | 59% | 52% | |
| Don’t know | 6% | 7% | 3% | 2% | 4% |
62% believe Australia’s gun laws are about right and 25% think they are too weak. Only 7% think they are too strict.
42% of over 65’s think they are too weak. Otherwise, views were quite consistent across demographic and voting groups.
Do you agree or disagree with the following statements?
| Total agree | Total disagree | Strongly agree | Agree | Disagree | Strongly disagree | Don’t know | ||
| There should be more regulation of what Facebook can do | 79% | 12% | 35% | 44% | 8% | 4% | 10% | |
| Facebook is a distraction | 77% | 19% | 24% | 53% | 15% | 4% | 5% | |
| I am concerned about how Facebook uses my personal information | 68% | 22% | 28% | 40% | 16% | 6% | 10% | |
| I regularly use Facebook | 66% | 32% | 32% | 34% | 14% | 18% | 2% | |
| Facebook allows the popular to drown out the important | 60% | 24% | 19% | 41% | 19% | 5% | 16% | |
| Facebook brings people closer together | 58% | 33% | 12% | 46% | 20% | 13% | 9% | |
| Facebook is a generally a force for good | 45% | 37% | 5% | 40% | 23% | 14% | 19% |
While respondents were more likely to agree that Facebook is a generally a force for good (45%) and brings people closer together (58%), a high majority believe that there should be more regulation of what Facebook can do (79%) and are concerned about how Facebook uses my personal information (68%).
Q. If a Federal Election was held today to which party will you probably give your first preference vote? If not sure, which party are you currently leaning toward? If don’t know – Well which party are you currently leaning to?
| Total | 2 weeks ago 27/2/18 | 4 weeks ago 13/2/18 | Election 2 Jul 16 | |||
| Liberal | 33% | 32% | 33% | |||
| National | 3% | 3% | 3% | |||
| Total Liberal/National | 36% | 35% | 36% | 42.0% | ||
| Labor | 38% | 35% | 37% | 34.7% | ||
| Greens | 9% | 10% | 10% | 10.2% | ||
| Nick Xenophon Team | 3% | 2% | 4% | |||
| Pauline Hanson’s One Nation | 8% | 8% | 6% | |||
| Other/Independent | 7% | 10% | 7% | 13.1% | ||
| 2 party preferred | ||||||
| Liberal National | 46% | 47% | 46% | 50.4% | ||
| Labor | 54% | 53% | 54% | 49.6% |
N.B. Respondents who select ‘don’t know’ are not included in the results. The two-party preferred estimate is calculated by distributing the votes of the other parties according to their preferences at the 2016 election.
Q. Do you approve or disapprove of the job Malcolm Turnbull is doing as Prime Minister?
| Total | Vote Labor | Vote Lib/Nat | Vote Greens | Vote Other | Feb 2018 | Jan 2018 | Dec 2017 | Sep 2017 | |||
| Total approve | 41% | 29% | 75% | 25% | 24% | 39% | 38% | 41% | 41% | ||
| Total disapprove | 43% | 60% | 16% | 63% | 65% | 42% | 45% | 44% | 46% | ||
| Strongly approve | 9% | 10% | 16% | 8% | 3% | 7% | 7% | 8% | 7% | ||
| Approve | 32% | 19% | 59% | 17% | 21% | 32% | 31% | 33% | 34% | ||
| Disapprove | 26% | 33% | 12% | 37% | 41% | 26% | 25% | 27% | 28% | ||
| Strongly disapprove | 17% | 27% | 4% | 26% | 24% | 16% | 20% | 17% | 18% | ||
| Don’t know | 16% | 11% | 9% | 12% | 11% | 19% | 18% | 15% | 14% |
| June 2017 | Mar 2017 | Dec 2016 | June 2016 | Dec 2015 | |
| Total approve | 36% | 33% | 34% | 38% | 56% |
| Total disapprove | 45% | 50% | 46% | 40% | 23% |
| Strongly approve | 5% | 5% | 5% | 6% | 13% |
| Approve | 31% | 28% | 29% | 32% | 43% |
| Disapprove | 28% | 30% | 30% | 24% | 16% |
| Strongly disapprove | 17% | 20% | 16% | 16% | 7% |
| Don’t know | 19% | 18% | 20% | 21% | 21% |
41% approved of the job Malcolm Turnbull is doing as Prime Minister (up 2% from last month), and 43% disapproved (up 1%) – a change in net approval rating from -3 to -2.
75% (up 2%) of Liberal/National voters approved of the job Malcolm Turnbull is doing, compared to 29% of ALP voters and 25% of Greens voters.
By gender, men were 46% approve/45% disapprove and women 36% approve/41% disapprove.
Q. Do you approve or disapprove of the job Bill Shorten is doing as Opposition Leader?
| Total | Vote Labor | Vote Lib/Nat | Vote Greens | Vote other | Feb 2018 | Jan 2018 | Dec 2017 | Sep 2017 | |||
| Total Approve | 37% | 66% | 23% | 39% | 20% | 33% | 32% | 36% | 36% | ||
| Total Disapprove | 44% | 20% | 67% | 42% | 66% | 46% | 49% | 45% | 47% | ||
| Strongly approve | 8% | 17% | 5% | 9% | 3% | 7% | 7% | 7% | 7% | ||
| Approve | 29% | 49% | 18% | 30% | 17% | 26% | 25% | 29% | 29% | ||
| Disapprove | 23% | 16% | 29% | 32% | 30% | 25% | 26% | 23% | 25% | ||
| Strongly disapprove | 21% | 4% | 38% | 10% | 36% | 21% | 23% | 22% | 22% | ||
| Don’t know | 19% | 14% | 10% | 21% | 15% | 21% | 20% | 19% | 17% |
| June 2017 | Mar 2017 | Dec 2016 | Dec 2015 | Dec 2014 | |
| Total Approve | 34% | 30% | 35% | 27% | 35% |
| Total Disapprove | 43% | 49% | 38% | 47% | 39% |
| Strongly approve | 5% | 4% | 6% | 4% | 7% |
| Approve | 29% | 26% | 29% | 23% | 28% |
| Disapprove | 28% | 26% | 21% | 26% | 23% |
| Strongly disapprove | 15% | 23% | 17% | 21% | 16% |
| Don’t know | 23% | 22% | 25% | 25% | 26% |
37% approved of the job Bill Shorten is doing as Opposition Leader (up 4% from last month), and 44% disapproved (down 2%) – a change in net approval rating from -13 to -7.
66% (up 5%) of ALP voters approved of the job Bill Shorten is doing, compared to 39% of Greens voters and 23% of Liberal/National voters.
By gender, men were 44% approve/47% disapprove and women 30% approve/40% disapprove.
Q. Who do you think would make the better Prime Minister out of Malcolm Turnbull and Bill Shorten?
| Total | Vote Labor | Vote Lib/Nat | Vote Greens | Vote other | Feb 2018 | Jan 2018 | Dec 2017 | Sep 2017 | |||
| Malcolm Turnbull | 41% | 21% | 82% | 25% | 32% | 42% | 42% | 42% | 43% | ||
| Bill Shorten | 26% | 55% | 5% | 38% | 16% | 27% | 25% | 28% | 29% | ||
| Don’t know | 33% | 24% | 13% | 37% | 53% | 31% | 33% | 31% | 28% |
| June 2017 | Mar 2017 | Dec 2016 | Jun 2016 | Dec 2015 |
| 39% | 38% | 39% | 40% | 54% |
| 26% | 26% | 28% | 29% | 15% |
| 34% | 36% | 33% | 32% | 31% |
41% thought that Malcolm Turnbull would make the better Prime Minister (down 1% from last month), and 26% thought Bill Shorten would be better (down 1%). 33% did not know who would make a better Prime Minister.
The results were split by party, with 82% of Liberal/National voters saying that Malcolm Turnbull would be a better Prime Minister, and 55% of Labor voters saying Bill Shorten would.
Greens voters preferred Bill Shorten (38%) to Malcolm Turnbull (25%).
49% of men prefer Malcolm Turnbull and 27% prefer Bill Shorten.
33% of women prefer Malcolm Turnbull and 26% prefer Bill Shorten.
Q. Indian mining company Adani wants to build a large new coal mine in the Galilee Basin in Queensland which would produce coal to be exported back to India. Which of the following positions is closest to your view?
| Total | Vote Labor | Vote Lib/Nat | Vote Greens | Vote other | ||
| The Liberal Party position – Support the mine and will allow it to go ahead | 26% | 15% | 50% | 9% | 26% | |
| The Labor Party position – Do not support the mine but will not revoke Adani’s licence to develop the mine | 19% | 38% | 10% | 10% | 11% | |
| The Greens position – Oppose the mine and will not allow it to go ahead | 30% | 31% | 19% | 69% | 40% | |
| Don’t know | 24% | 16% | 21% | 13% | 24% |
30% support the Greens position on the Adani coal mine – to oppose the mine and not allow it to go ahead. 26% support the Liberal Party position of supporting the coal mine and 19% support the Labor position of opposing the mine but not revoking their licence to develop the mine.
Among their own voters, the Greens have the highest support – 69% of Greens voters support the Greens position, 50% of Liberal voters support the Liberal position and 38% of Labor voters support the Labor position. 40% of minor party and independent voters and 31% of Labor voters support the Greens position.
Q. Would you support or oppose each of the following?
| Total support | Total oppose | Strongly support | Support | Oppose | Strongly oppose | Don’t know | ||
| Reduce corporate tax to stimulate investment | 42% | 39% | 11% | 31% | 24% | 15% | 19% | |
| Increase the Newstart allowance to increase consumer spending | 52% | 32% | 18% | 34% | 21% | 11% | 16% | |
| Regulate energy prices to reduce cost of living pressures | 83% | 7% | 49% | 34% | 5% | 2% | 10% | |
| Create a partnership between business, unions and government to better share the benefits of economic growth | 66% | 11% | 18% | 48% | 7% | 4% | 23% |
There was majority support for regulating energy prices (83%), creating a partnership between business, unions and Government (66%) and increasing the Newstart allowance (52%). Respondents were divided on reducing corporate tax (42% support/39% oppose).
61% of Liberal National voters support reducing corporate tax while 52% of Labor voters and 60% of Greens voters oppose.