Q. The Federal Budget will be announced on Tuesday 9th Do you think the Government should increase, decrease or keep spending the same for –
Increase spending | Keep spending the same | Decrease spending | Don’t know | |
Health care | 62% | 26% | 4% | 8% |
Education | 54% | 33% | 4% | 9% |
Age pensions | 48% | 36% | 5% | 11% |
Public transport infrastructure | 47% | 39% | 6% | 8% |
Protecting Australian jobs | 44% | 41% | 6% | 8% |
More affordable housing | 44% | 38% | 9% | 8% |
Renewable energy | 41% | 37% | 14% | 9% |
Assistance to the needy in Australia | 38% | 46% | 8% | 8% |
Building highways, roads | 38% | 44% | 9% | 9% |
Scientific research | 37% | 43% | 11% | 9% |
Anti-terrorism | 32% | 49% | 11% | 9% |
Environmental protection | 30% | 44% | 17% | 9% |
Assistance to the unemployed | 22% | 48% | 21% | 9% |
Military/defence | 20% | 46% | 24% | 10% |
Assistance to the needy in the rest of the world | 11% | 30% | 50% | 9% |
Assistance to businesses | 10% | 48% | 32% | 10% |
The only spending areas with majority support for increasing spending were health care (62% support) and education (54%). Only 4% thought spending should be decreased for each of these areas.
The spending areas with the highest support for decreasing spending were assistance to the needy in the rest of the world (50% support), assistance to businesses (32%) and military/defence (24%).