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 | Oct 2015 | Dec 2015 | Jan 2016 | Feb 2016 | Mar 2016 | Apr 2016 | 17 May 2016 | |||
Total approve | 41% | 22% | 79% | 17% | 22% | 47% | 56% | 51% | 51% | 45% | 39% | 40% | ||
Total disapprove | 39% | 64% | 9% | 62% | 61% | 17% | 23% | 25% | 27% | 35% | 39% | 42% | ||
Strongly approve | 9% | 5% | 19% | 2% | 4% | 11% | 13% | 9% | 8% | 6% | 7% | 7% | ||
Approve | 32% | 17% | 60% | 15% | 18% | 36% | 43% | 42% | 43% | 39% | 32% | 33% | ||
Disapprove | 22% | 32% | 7% | 33% | 33% | 11% | 16% | 16% | 18% | 24% | 23% | 26% | ||
Strongly disapprove | 17% | 32% | 2% | 29% | 28% | 6% | 7% | 9% | 9% | 11% | 16% | 16% | ||
Don’t know | 19% | 14% | 12% | 22% | 17% | 35% | 21% | 23% | 21% | 21% | 22% | 17% |
41% (up 1% from 2 weeks ago) of respondents approve of the job Malcolm Turnbull is doing as Prime Minister and 39% (down 3%) disapprove – a net approval rating of +2 (up 4).
79% (up 6%) of Liberal/National voters approve of Malcolm Turnbull’s performance with 9% (down 8%) disapproving. 22% (up 2%) of Labor voters and 17% (no change) of Greens voters approve of Malcolm Turnbull’s performance.
By gender, men were 49% approve/38% disapprove and women 35% 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 | Nov 2013 | Dec 2014 | Dec 2015 | Jan 2016 | Feb 2016 | Mar 2016 | Apr 2016 | 17 May 2016 | |||
Total approve | 34% | 66% | 21% | 32% | 22% | 31% | 35% | 27% | 27% | 27% | 27% | 30% | 34% | ||
Total disapprove | 44% | 18% | 67% | 37% | 55% | 27% | 39% | 47% | 47% | 48% | 47% | 44% | 43% | ||
Strongly approve | 7% | 16% | 3% | 7% | 2% | 5% | 7% | 4% | 4% | 5% | 3% | 5% | 6% | ||
Approve | 27% | 50% | 18% | 25% | 20% | 26% | 28% | 23% | 23% | 22% | 24% | 25% | 28% | ||
Disapprove | 26% | 16% | 32% | 26% | 33% | 17% | 23% | 26% | 28% | 26% | 29% | 22% | 26% | ||
Strongly disapprove | 18% | 2% | 35% | 11% | 22% | 10% | 16% | 21% | 19% | 22% | 18% | 22% | 17% | ||
Don’t know | 23% | 17% | 12% | 31% | 23% | 43% | 26% | 25% | 26% | 25% | 26% | 25% | 23% |
34% (no change in last 2 weeks) of respondents approve of the job Bill Shorten is doing as opposition leader and 44% (up 1%) disapprove – a change in his net rating from -9 to -10.
66% (up 2%) of Labor voters approve of the job Bill Shorten is doing and 18% (up 3%) disapprove.
36% of men and 32% of women approve of Bill Shorten. 49% of men and 38% of women 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 | Sep 2015 | Dec 2015 | Jan 2016 | Feb 2016 | Mar 2016 | Apr 2016 | 17 May 2016 | |||
Malcolm Turnbull | 40% | 13% | 80% | 13% | 31% | 53% | 54% | 51% | 52% | 48% | 44% | 43% | ||
Bill Shorten | 27% | 59% | 6% | 45% | 27% | 17% | 15% | 18% | 15% | 19% | 22% | 28% | ||
Don’t know | 33% | 28% | 14% | 43% | 42% | 30% | 31% | 31% | 33% | 33% | 34% | 29% |
40% (down 3%) of respondents think Malcolm Turnbull would make the better Prime Minister and 27% (down 1%) think Bill Shorten would make the better Prime Minister.
47% of men prefer Malcolm Turnbull and 28% prefer Bill Shorten.
33% of women prefer Malcolm Turnbull and 27% prefer Bill Shorten.
Q. Which party leader would you –
Malcolm Turnbull | Bill Shorten | Don’t know | |
Ask advice about investing money | 53% | 11% | 37% |
Most trust to give your children advice about the future | 34% | 17% | 49% |
Most like to have over for dinner | 38% | 22% | 41% |
Most like to go on holiday with | 26% | 17% | 57% |
Prefer to have negotiate your next pay rise | 36% | 27% | 37% |
Most trust to cook a good meal | 24% | 19% | 57% |
Most like to go to the footy with | 25% | 24% | 51% |
Most like to have babysit your children | 22% | 21% | 57% |
Ask their advice about a personal issue | 21% | 20% | 58% |
Most trust to look after your pet | 20% | 23% | 58% |
Most like to go to the pub for a beer with | 26% | 30% | 43% |
Think would be more likely to lend you $100 if you needed it | 26% | 31% | 42% |
Ask to help you with home renovations | 17% | 24% | 59% |
Think would be more likely to stop and help if your car was stranded | 21% | 37% | 42% |
Gave answer (excluding “don’t know”) | Malcolm Turnbull | Bill Shorten | Difference |
Ask advice about investing money | 83% | 17% | +66% |
Most trust to give your children advice about the future | 67% | 33% | +34% |
Most like to have over for dinner | 63% | 37% | +26% |
Most like to go on holiday with | 60% | 40% | +20% |
Prefer to have negotiate your next pay rise | 57% | 43% | +14% |
Most trust to cook a good meal | 56% | 44% | +12% |
Most like to go to the footy with | 51% | 49% | +2% |
Most like to have babysit your children | 51% | 49% | +2% |
Ask their advice about a personal issue | 51% | 49% | +2% |
Most trust to look after your pet | 47% | 53% | -6% |
Most like to go to the pub for a beer with | 46% | 54% | -8% |
Think would be more likely to lend you $100 if you needed it | 46% | 54% | -8% |
Ask to help you with home renovations | 41% | 59% | -18% |
Think would be more likely to stop and help if your car was stranded | 36% | 64% | -28% |
Malcolm Turnbull was regarded as a better source of advice investing money and giving advice to children about the future. He was also the preferred companion for dinner or for going on holiday.
Bill Shorten was more trusted to help if your car was stranded or with house renovations. He was also considered more likely to loan you $100 if you needed it.
Q. Without looking it up, do you know which month the next Federal election will be held?
Total | Vote Labor | Vote Lib/Nat | Vote Greens | Vote other | ||
June | 8% | 8% | 7% | 4% | 10% | |
July | 77% | 80% | 80% | 84% | 78% | |
August | 4% | 2% | 7% | 5% | 4% | |
September | 2% | 3% | 3% | 4% | – | |
Later | <1% | <1% | – | 2% | <1% | |
Don’t know | 9% | 7% | 3% | 2% | 8% |
The following three questions were asked to assess how engaged people are with the election and how much they knew about Australian politics.
77% knew that the election was being held in July. There were no substantial differences by voting intention.
62% of those aged under 35 knew the election was in July compared to 90% of those aged 55+.
Q. Without looking it up, what will you be voting for in the next Federal election?
Total | Vote Labor | Vote Lib/Nat | Vote Greens | Vote other | ||
Just the House of Representatives | 8% | 8% | 11% | 10% | 5% | |
The House of Representatives and half the Senate | 8% | 6% | 10% | 6% | 9% | |
The House of Representatives and the full Senate | 50% | 47% | 58% | 56% | 56% | |
Don’t know | 34% | 38% | 21% | 28% | 30% |
50% were aware that they would be voting for the House of Representatives and the full Senate.
33% of those aged under 35 were aware of this compared to 70% of those aged 55+.
Q. And again, without looking it up, who is the current Federal Treasurer?
Total | Vote Labor | Vote Lib/Nat | Vote Greens | Vote other | ||
Scott Morrison | 64% | 67% | 71% | 60% | 62% | |
Joe Hockey | 13% | 16% | 12% | 18% | 11% | |
Chris Bowen | 3% | 2% | 5% | 6% | 3% | |
Don’t know | 20% | 15% | 12% | 16% | 23% |
64% knew that Scott Morrison was the Federal Treasurer. 20% said they didn’t know and 16% thought someone else was the Treasurer.
44% of those aged under 35 thought Scott Morrison was the Treasurer compared to 83% of those aged 55+.
Q. Currently whistleblowers in government agencies who reveal any information about government decisions and projects may be tracked down by the Australian Federal Police and prosecuted using national security powers. Do you approve of such laws or should they be limited to leaks of information that harms our national security?
Total | Vote Labor | Vote Lib/Nat | Vote Greens | Vote other | ||
Approve of laws to prosecute people who release Government information | 30% | 28% | 45% | 14% | 20% | |
Laws should only apply to national security matters | 50% | 54% | 41% | 78% | 64% | |
Don’t know | 19% | 18% | 14% | 8% | 16% |
50% thought that laws about whistleblowers should only apply to national security matters and 30% approved of laws to prosecute people who release Government information.
A majority of Labor (54%) and Greens voters (78%) thought laws should only apply to national security matters. Liberal/National voters were divided.