Q. How would you rate the job Prime Minister Julia Gillard has done in handling the mining tax issue?

 58% rated the Prime Minister’s handling of the mining tax issue as good and 25% rated it poor. Labor voters rated it 87% good and 6% poor and Greens voters rated it 60% good and 27% poor. 40% of Liberal/National voters rated it good and 49% poor. Comments »

Q. Do you think the mining companies have had too much or not enough influence on Government policies?

  41% think mining companies have had too much influence of Government policies, 12% think they have not had enough and 25% think they have had about the right influence. 57% of Labor voters and 69% of Greens voters think mining companies have had too much influence. Liberal voters were evenly split – 22% think they have had too much influence, 22% not enough and 40% about the right influence. Comments »

 Q. Do you think the Federal Labor Government is too tough or too soft on asylum seekers or is it taking the right approach?

 10% think the Government is too tough on asylum seekers, 56% too soft and 21% think they are taking the right approach. Since this question was asked three months ago, the percentage thinking the Government is too soft is down 9%, too tough up 4% and “the right approach” up 3%.

 Among Labor voters 43% say they are too soft, 37% think they are taking the right approach and 11% think they are too tough. 81% of Liberal/National voters think they are too soft, 4% too tough and 10% taking the right approach. Greens voters are split – 38% think they are too tough, 28% too soft and 23% taking the right approach.

 There are some differences of opinion by age – among the under 35’s, 46% think they are too soft, 14% too tough and 19% taking the right approach. Among those aged 55+, 66% think they are too soft, 8% too tough and 22% taking the right approach. Comments »

  Q. Do you approve or disapprove the way the Prime Minister Julia Gillard is addressing the asylum seeker issue?

 42% approved of the way the Prime Minister is addressing the asylum seeker issue and 33% disapproved. 63% of Labor voters approved and 15% disapproved. 57% Liberal/National voters disapproved and 26% approved and for Greens voters 32% approved and 41% disapproved. Comments »

Q. Which party would you trust most to handle the issue of asylum seekers?

 24% trust the Labor Party most to handle the issue of asylum seekers, 31% trust the Liberal Party most and 45% think there is no difference or don’t know. This represents only a small change since this question was asked three months ago – the gap between Labor and Liberal has closed from 11% to 7% and the proportion that thinks there is no difference is up 5%.

54% of Labor voters trust the Labor Party most and 33% say there is no difference while 75% of Liberal/National voters trust the Liberal Party and only 18% think there is no difference. 47% of Greens voters think there is no difference, 31% trust the Labor Party most and 11% the Liberal Party. Comments »

 Q. If they won the next election, how likely do you think it would be that Tony Abbott and the Liberal Party would try to bring back industrial laws similar to WorkChoices?

 56% think it is likely that Tony Abbott and the Liberal Party would try to bring back industrial laws similar to WorkChoices if they won the next election and 24% think it is unlikely. These figures have only changed slightly since this question was last asked six weeks ago.

 83% of Labor voters and 71% of Greens voters think it is likely, while Liberal/National voters are split 37% likely to 48% unlikely. Comments »

Q. If the Liberals won the election and reintroduced WorkChoices or similar laws, how concerned would you be?  

48% would be quite or very concerned if WorkChoices or similar laws were re-introduced and 41% were only a little or not concerned. These figures are little changed since this question was last asked six weeks ago.

76% of Labor voters and 71% of Greens voters would be concerned. 77% of Liberal/National voters would be a little/not concerned and 17% concerned. Respondents aged 25-44 were the most concerned group – 55% very/quite concerned to 32% a little/not concerned. Comments »

First published on The Punch 6/7/2010

There is a wildcard hanging over the upcoming election, a factor outside the control of the any politician – it resembles an angry fish, and it is looking for someone to bite.

Question: Over the next 12 months do you think economic conditions in Australia will get better, get worse or stay much the same? Source: Essential Report

It is the long-term trend line on people’s economic confidence, and it shows that after we sounded a collective sigh of relief last year, we are beginning to fear the worst again, a sense of economy insecurity that can affect our work, our home lives – and the way we look at politics.

The story of the fish charts the highs and lows of first term Labor, it also offers some tantalising clues about what happens next. Why a fish? As the graph above shows, the competing stories of confidence and despondency have taken a wild journey over the past two years.  With fear surging as the GFC hit, curtailing as stimulus stabilised the economy, but now rising again.

Kevin Rudd inherited a nation fearing the worst – the US sub-prime was not just a theory – big banks collapsed, homes were lost, mass lay-offs. As the word ‘contagion’ was bandied around – it emerged that many Australian local councils had unwittingly invested in the toxic loans to bad security risks. Economists warned us of our unsustainable levels of household debt. The notion of economic carnage in Australia was real.

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