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  • Feb, 2010

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    Federal politics – voting intention

    Q. If there was a Federal election held today, to which party would you probably give your first preference?  

    Q. If you ‘don’t know’ on the above question, which party are you currently leaning to?  

    *1834 sample size

    2 week average % 2PP 2PP shift from last week
    Liberal 37%    
    National 3%    
    Total Lib/Nat 40% 46% +1%
    Labor 43% 54% -1%
    Greens 8%    
    Family First 2%    
    Other/Independent 7%    

     NB.  The data in the above table is derived from our weekly first preference voting question.  Respondents who select ‘don’t know’ as their first preference are not included in the results. 

    * Sample is the culmination of two week’s polling data.   Comments »

  • Feb, 2010

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    Approval of the Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd

    Q. Do you strongly approve, approve, disapprove or strongly disapprove of the job Kevin Rudd is doing as Prime Minister?

      9 Feb 09 30 Mar 09 18 May 09 29 Jun 09 10 Aug 09 28 Sept 09 9 Nov 09 30 Nov 09 14 Dec 09 18 Jan 10 22 Feb 10
    Strongly approve 17% 21% 14% 14% 13% 15% 14% 9% 10% 11% 11%
    Approve 50% 50% 48% 48% 47% 51% 47% 47% 47% 44% 41%
    Disapprove 15% 14% 18% 18% 17% 17% 19% 20% 20% 19% 20%
    Strongly disapprove 8% 7% 11% 9% 10% 6% 13% 15% 12% 14% 17%
    Don’t know 9% 9% 9% 11% 12% 11% 8% 10% 10% 12% 11%
    Total approve 67% 71% 62% 62% 60% 66% 61% 56% 57% 55% 52%
    Total disapprove 23% 21% 29% 29% 27% 23% 32% 35% 32% 33% 37%

     Just over half (52%) of those surveyed approve of the job Kevin Rudd is doing as Prime Minister, 37% disapprove and 11% don’t know.  This gives Kevin Rudd a net approval rating of +15%. 

     Rudd has the lowest approval rating and the highest disapproval rating that has been reported in the Essential Report since we began asking this question in 2008.

     Results followed party lines – Labor voters were more likely to approve of the job Rudd is doing (92%), while Coalition voters were more likely to disapprove (78%).  17% of Coalition voters approve of the job Rudd is doing as Prime Minister.

     59% of Green voters approve of the job Rudd is doing, while 30% of these same voters disapprove. 

     People aged 18 – 24 were more likely to approve of the job Rudd is doing (59%), while people aged 65 years and over were more likely to disapprove (59%).  Comments »

  • Feb, 2010

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    Approval of the Opposition Leader, Tony Abbott

    Q. Do you strongly approve, approve, disapprove or strongly disapprove of the job Tony Abbott is doing as Opposition Leader?

      Malcolm Turnbull Tony Abbott
    9 Feb 09 30 Mar 09 18 May 09 29 Jun 09 10 Aug 09 28 Sept 09 9 Nov 09 30 Nov 09 14 Dec 09 18 Jan 10 22 Feb 10
    Strongly approve 3% 3% 2% 4% 2% 3% 3% 2% 7% 5% 12%
    Approve 29% 25% 28% 20% 20% 24% 26% 23% 27% 32% 33%
    Disapprove 26% 31% 28% 31% 30% 35% 30% 33% 18% 20% 20%
    Strongly disapprove 17% 17% 21% 26% 28% 18% 20% 22% 18% 17% 16%
    Don’t know 24% 24% 21% 19% 20% 21% 20% 19% 31% 26% 18%
    Total approve 32% 28% 30% 24% 22% 27% 29% 25% 34% 37% 45%
    Total disapprove 43% 48% 49% 57% 58% 53% 50% 55% 36% 37% 36%

     Just under half (45%) of those surveyed approve of the job Tony Abbott is doing as Opposition Leader, 36% disapprove and 18% don’t know. This gives Tony Abbott a net approval rating of +9%.  

     This is the highest approval rating that has been recorded for Abbott in the Essential Report thus far and higher than Turnbull ever scored in our polling. 

     Results followed party lines – Coalition voters were more likely to approve of the job Abbott is doing (79%), while Labor voters were more likely to disapprove (58%).   28% of Labor voters approve of the job Abbott is doing as Opposition Leader. 

     68% of Green voters disapprove of the job Abbott is doing as Opposition Leader and 19% of these same voters approve.

     People aged 65 years and over were more likely to approve of the job Abbott is doing (68%), while younger voters were more likely to indicate they don’t know (37%). 

     Males were more likely than females to approve of the job Abbott is doing as Opposition Leader (47% v 43%).  Comments »

  • Feb, 2010

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    Approval of Environment Minister, Peter Garrett

    Q. Do you approve or disapprove of the job Peter Garrett is doing as Environment Minister?

      %
    Strongly approve 4%
    Approve 24%
    Disapprove 26%
    Strongly disapprove 30%
    Don’t know 16%
    Total approve 28%
    Total disapprove 56%

     Just over half (56%) of those surveyed disapprove of the job Peter Garrett is doing as Environment Minister, 28% approve and 16% don’t know.

    This gives Peter Garrett an approval rating of -28%.  

     Results followed party lines – Labor voters were more likely to approve (47%), while Coalition voters were more likely to disapprove (84%).  37% of Labor voters disapprove of the job Garrett is doing as Environment Minister. 

     Green voters were reasonably split in terms of their level of approval of the Environment Minister – 42% approve and 46% disapprove of the job Garrett is doing. 

     People aged 65 years and over were more likely to disapprove (82%) while those aged 35 – 44 were more likely to approve (35%). 

     We asked a similar question in June 2008 asking people to rate the performance of Peter Garrett – 32% rated his performance as very good/good and 47% rated it as very poor/poor. Comments »

  • Feb, 2010

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    Reintroduction of WorkChoices under an Abbott Liberal Government

     Q. How likely do you think it is that Tony Abbott and the Liberals will reintroduce at least some parts of WorkChoices if they win the next election?

      Total Labor Coalition Green
    Very likely 22% 41% 7% 26%
    Quite likely 35% 36% 43% 39%
    Not very likely 18% 8% 29% 15%
    Not at all likely 5% 4% 7% 4%
    Don’t know 20% 11% 14% 16%
    Total likely 57% 77% 50% 65%
    Total not likely 23% 12% 36% 19%

     Over half (57%) of Australians surveyed think that if Tony Abbott and the Liberals win the next election it is likely that they will introduce at least some parts of WorkChoices, 23% think it is unlikely and 20% don’t know.

     77% of Labor voters, 65% of Green voters and 50% of Coalition voters think that it is likely that at least some parts of WorkChoices will be introduced if Abbott and the Liberals win the next election. 

     People aged 45 – 55 were more likely to think that if the Liberal party wins the next election, at least some parts of WorkChoices will be introduced (68%), while people aged 65 years and over were more inclined to think it is unlikely some parts of WorkChoices will be introduced if the Liberals win the next election (32%).   Comments »

  • Feb, 2010

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    Future of WorkChoices

    Q. Do you believe Tony Abbott when he says that WorkChoices is dead and would not be reintroduced by a future Liberal Government?

      %
    Yes 22%
    No 50%
    Don’t know 28%

     Half (50%) of those surveyed do not believe Tony Abbott when he says that WorkChoices is dead and would not be reintroduced by a future Liberal Government, 22% believe Abbott and 28% don’t know.

     Results followed party lines – Labor (75%) and Green (80%) voters were more likely to not believe Abbott, while Coalition voters were more likely to believe Abbott when he says WorkChoices is dead and won’t be reintroduced (50%). 

     People aged 65 years and over were more likely to believe Abbott (39%) while those aged 18 – 24 were more likely to indicate they don’t know (36%).  Comments »

  • Feb, 2010

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    Federal politics – voting intention

    Q. If there was a Federal election held today, to which party would you probably give your first preference?  

    Q. If you ‘don’t know’ on the above question, which party are you currently leaning to?  

    *1830 sample size

    2 week average % 2PP 2PP shift from last week
    Liberal 36%    
    National 2%    
    Total Lib/Nat 38% 45%
    Labor 44% 55%
    Greens 10%    
    Family First 2%    
    Other/Independent 6%    

     NB.  The data in the above table is derived from our weekly first preference voting question.  Respondents who select ‘don’t know’ as their first preference are not included in the results. 

    * Sample is the culmination of two week’s polling data.

  • Feb, 2010

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    Approve of Lindsay Tanner, Finance Minister

    Q Do you approve or disapprove of the job Lindsay Tanner is doing as Finance Minister?

      %
    Total approve 31%
    Total disapprove 24%
    Net rating +7%
    Strongly approve 5%
    Approve 26%
    Disapprove 18%
    Strongly disapprove 6%
    Don’t know 45%

    31% approve of the job Lindsay Tanner is doing as Finance Minister, 24% disapprove and 45% don’t know.

    Results followed party lines – Labor voters were more likely to approve (56%), while Coalition voters were more likely to disapprove (49%).  43% of Green voters approve of the job Tanner is doing as Finance Minister.  

    Males were more likely to approve of the job Tanner is doing (39%), while females were more likely to indicate they don’t know (55%). 

     People aged 55 years and over were more likely that those in other age groups to disapprove (36%).  Comments »

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