Essential Report
Preference for spending priorities
Q. Recent Government commitments to provide a tax break for Australia’s top income earners will cost the country approximately $12B per year, whereas increasing the Newstart payment would cost an estimated $4B per year.
Given the above information, which of the following options would you prefer the Government prioritise its spending?
Total | Gender | Age | ||||
Male | Female | 18-34 | 35-54 | 55+ | ||
Spend $12B a year to provide a tax cut for Australia’s top income earners | 12% | 16% | 9% | 15% | 14% | 8% |
Spend $4B a year to increase the Newstart payment for those looking for a job | 70% | 68% | 71% | 64% | 66% | 77% |
Unsure | 18% | 15% | 20% | 20% | 20% | 14% |
Base (n) | 1,102 | 543 | 559 | 348 | 374 | 380 |
- 70% of the population would prefer spending on increasing Newstart be made a priority, compared to 12% who think the Stage 3 tax cuts should be a priority.
- Participants aged over 55 were more likely to prefer the Government prioritise an increase to Newstart (77%) than 18-54 year olds (65%).
Total | Federal Voting Intention | ||||
Labor | Coalition | Greens | NET: Other | ||
Spend $12B a year to provide a tax cut for Australia’s top income earners | 12% | 6% | 19% | 9% | 14% |
Spend $4B a year to increase the Newstart payment for those looking for a job | 70% | 82% | 61% | 81% | 68% |
Unsure | 18% | 11% | 20% | 10% | 18% |
Base (n) | 1,102 | 320 | 387 | 107 | 159 |
- Labor voters were more likely than Coalition voters (82% versus 61%) to prefer the Government prioritise increasing Newstart over a tax cut for top income earners.
Total | Income | |||
NET: Lower Income | NET: Mid-Income | NET: High Income | ||
Spend $12B a year to provide a tax cut for Australia’s top income earners | 12% | 7% | 15% | 19% |
Spend $4B a year to increase the Newstart payment for those looking for a job | 70% | 78% | 71% | 60% |
Unsure | 18% | 15% | 15% | 20% |
Base (n) | 1,102 | 399 | 301 | 275 |
- Lower income earners were more likely to prioritise increasing Newstart (78%) than high income earners (60%) – high income earners were over twice as likely to prioritise a tax cut for top income earners (19%) than lower income earners (7%).

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