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Most important areas for increased funding

11 May 2021

Q. How important to you is it that each of the following areas receives increased funding in the upcoming Federal Budget?

  TOTAL: Very important / Important Quite important TOTAL:  Not very important / Not at all important
Improving the quality of aged care 74% 20% 6%
Services and facilities to improve women’s safety 60% 30% 10%
Promoting the local manufacture of Covid-19 vaccines 59% 27% 14%
Incentives and support for small businesses 57% 34% 9%
Early childhood education and care 55% 28% 18%
Energy transition from fossil fuels to renewables 51% 31% 19%
Reducing the national deficit 48% 34% 18%
  • Improving the quality of aged care is seen by the majority of Australians to be an important / very important area to receive increased funding in the upcoming Federal Budget (74%). Services and facilities to improve women’s safety (60%) comes next, closely followed by promoting the local manufacture of Covid-19 vaccines (59%).
  • Reducing the national deficit (48%) and funding for the energy transition from fossil fuels to renewables (51%) are seen as the least important areas for funding.
TOTAL: Very important / Important Total Federal Voting Intention
Labor Coalition Greens TOTAL: Other TOTAL:

Labor, Greens, Other
Improving the quality of aged care 74% 77% 74% 78% 76% 77%
Services and facilities to improve women’s safety 60% 63% 58% 72% 62% 64%
Promoting the local manufacture of Covid-19 vaccines 59% 61% 65% 56% 54% 59%
Incentives and support for small businesses 57% 52% 64% 58% 53% 53%
Early childhood education and care 55% 60% 51% 58% 54% 59%
Energy transition from fossil fuels to renewables 51% 53% 46% 74% 49% 56%
Reducing the national deficit 48% 43% 58% 35% 48% 43%
Base (n) 1,092 371 400 109 111 591
  • Compared to all other voters, Coalition voters are more likely to think incentives and support for small businesses is an important / very important area for increased funding (53% to 64% respectively), however they are less likely to think the same for early childhood education and care (59% to 51% respectively).
  • Coalition voters are more likely to see reducing the national deficit as an important area for increased funding compared to all other voters (58% to 43% respectively).
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