Q. How do you think the economy will look in the next six months?

• A quarter of people expect the economy to improve in the next months, lower than the 36% who expect it to get worse. 39% do not expect any change.
• Older people aged over 55 are more likely than those aged 18-34 to expect the economy to get worse over the next six months (43% to 30%).
• 31% of Coalition voters think the economy will improve in the next six months, compared to 24% of Labor voters, 19% of Greens voters and 19% of independent/other minor party voters.

Q. The federal government is considering bringing forward tax cuts currently planned for 2022 which will give higher income earners much bigger tax cuts than those on lower incomes.

Which of these options do you most support?

• 33% would support a decision to fast-track tax cuts for high income earners from 2022 to 2020. 29% think the cuts should keep to the existing timetable of 2022, while 38% think they should be scrapped.
• Fast-tracking the tax cuts has greatest support among those with a high household income (46%), while only 25% of those in a household with a lower income, and 29% of people in a mid-income household.

Q. Thinking about tax cuts which benefit higher income earners, which of the following statements is closer to your views?

• One in five people (21%) believe tax cuts for higher income earners are very effective at stimulating the economy. 41% think they are only moderately effective at stimulating the economy and 38% believe they are not effective.
• Even among living in household with an annual income of over $100k, just 23% think these tax cuts would be very effective at stimulating the economy, while 49% say they would be moderately effective and 27% say they would not be effective

Q. From the options below, which of the following initiatives should the government prioritise in the upcoming Federal Budget in October?

Please select your top three choices with 1 being the top priority, 2 being the second top priority and 3 being the third top priority.

• Building more affordable houses was the most selected issue, with 60% rating this as a Top 3 priority for the Government in the next budget. Investing in renewable energy (52%), investment in large-scale infrastructure (48%) and the extension of JobKeeper and JobKeeper (47%) also rated highly.
• Fast-tracking tax cuts was considered a Top 3 priority for 25% of people.
• Coalition voters were more likely to select investment in renewable energy (51%) than the fast-tracking of tax cuts for higher income earners (31%) as a priority issue. Investment in large-scale infrastructure (59%), build affordable housing (54%) and investment in renewables (51%) were the most selected priorities among Coalition voters.

Q. The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Assurance is investigating the current funding system for residential support and aged care. One suggestion for improvement is to introduce a loan scheme to pay for a person’s care in retirement. The personal loan is paid off using the person’s assets only after they die, with any outstanding loan amount covered by the government.

To what extent would you support or oppose this loan system for aged care if it were introduced?

• Just under half of people (48%) say they would support (somewhat/strongly) a change of funding for aged care to a loan-style system. Under a third opposed the idea (30%) and a further fifth (22%) were unsure.
• Younger people aged 18-34 were more supportive of the suggestion than those aged over 55 (56% to 41%). There was high support among Coalition voters (57%).

Q. As you may be aware, many of Australia’s coal-fired power stations are reaching the end of their operational lives and will soon need to be replaced.

Which of the following would you prefer that the government supported?

• The vast majority of people would prefer the Government supported renewable energy solutions ahead of coal or gas powered plants.
• 70% of people opted for renewable power, with just 15% each selecting gas and coal powered stations.
• The preference for renewables was across all gender, age and voting demographics.
• Those most supportive of renewable energy sources include women (79%), Labor voters (78%) and Greens voters (78%).The highest support for coal-fired power stations was among Coalition voters (20%), residents of NSW (20%) and people living in regional areas.

Q. Do you approve or disapprove of the job Scott Morrison is doing as Prime Minister?

• The Prime Minister’s approval rating is consistent with last month, now at 64% compared to 66% in August.
• Approval of the Prime Minister among is at 91% among Coalition supporters, around half among Labor voters (51%) and Greens voters (47%).

Q. Do you approve or disapprove of the job Anthony Albanese is doing as Opposition Leader?

• The Opposition Leader’s approval rating remains consistent for the third consecutive month at 44%.
• Albanese’s approval among Labor voters has fallen from 70% in July to 62% in August. The proportion of Labor voters who strongly approve of his performance has dropped from 22% to 15%. Labor voters are now more likely to say they are unsure of his performance, which has increased from 15% to 25%. Those that disapprove remains consistent from last month (15% in August, 14% in September).