Essential Report

Preferred System for Electing Party Leaders

Mar 5, 2012

Q. Which of the following do you think would be the best way to elect national party leaders?

	Total	Vote Labor	Vote Lib/Nat	Vote Greens
The Australian system where the leader is elected by the Members of Parliament	36%	45%	36%	45%
The US system where registered voters in primaries elect the party’s candidate for President	31%	25%	36%	23%
The UK system where MPs, party members (and in Labour’s case, union members from affiliated unions) all get to vote for the party leader	11%	10%	8%	15%
Don’t know	23%	19%	19%	17%

36% prefer the Australian system of electing the party leader – 31% prefer the US system and 11% the UK system.

Labor and Greens voters were more likely to prefer the Australian system (45%) and Liberal/National voters the US system (36%).

45% of people aged 55+ and 45% of those on income of $1,600+ pw favoured the Australian system.

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