Returning to budget surplus

Q. Before the 2019 Federal election, the Government promised the 2019-2020 budget would return to surplus. To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements about achieving a budget surplus?

	NET: Agree	NET: Disagree	Strongly agree	Somewhat agree	Somewhat disagree	Strongly disagree	Unsure
It’s more important to spend money on bushfire recovery than fund the surplus	79%	11%	50%	30%	7%	5%	9%
It’s understandable with the coronavirus impacting trade with China that the surplus won’t be achieved	65%	18%	25%	40%	12%	6%	17%
The government was wrong to announce the budget ‘was back in the black’ before the last election	57%	24%	25%	32%	17%	7%	19%

• Four in five (79%) agree that it’s more important to spend money on bushfire recovery than fund the surplus; 65% agree that it’s understandable with the coronavirus impacting trade on China that the surplus won’t be achieved; and over half (57%) agree that the government was wrong to announce the budget ‘was back in the black’ before the last election.
• Coalition voters are least likely to agree that the government was wrong to announce the budget ‘was back in the black’ before the last election (44%); while Labor (70%) and Greens (68%) voters are most likely to agree.