11 February 2013, 110213, asylum seekers, controlling interest rates, Education, eleciton issues, management of the economy, party trust, war on terrorism
Q. Which party would you trust most to handle the following issues?
|
Labor |
Liberal |
Greens |
Don’t know |
Diff |
Diff |
Diff |
|
| Management of the economy |
31% |
46% |
3% |
21% |
-15 |
-14 |
-18 |
| Ensuring a quality education for all children |
37% |
35% |
6% |
22% |
+2 |
+5 |
-2 |
| Ensuring the quality of Australia’s health system |
33% |
36% |
6% |
25% |
-3 |
-3 |
-6 |
| Protecting the environment |
20% |
21% |
39% |
20% |
+18 |
+16 |
+17 |
| A fair industrial relations system |
39% |
33% |
4% |
23% |
+6 |
+9 |
+6 |
| Political leadership |
29% |
37% |
6% |
29% |
-8 |
-12 |
-16 |
| Addressing climate change |
21% |
24% |
29% |
26% |
+5 |
+9 |
+7 |
| Controlling interest rates |
27% |
41% |
3% |
30% |
-14 |
-11 |
-18 |
| Protecting Australian jobs and protection of local industries |
33% |
36% |
4% |
27% |
-3 |
-2 |
-6 |
| Ensuring a quality water supply |
21% |
27% |
23% |
29% |
-6 |
-7 |
-12 |
| Housing affordability |
27% |
33% |
5% |
35% |
-6 |
-5 |
-11 |
| Ensuring a fair taxation system |
31% |
37% |
4% |
28% |
-6 |
-9 |
-10 |
| Security and the war on terrorism |
25% |
38% |
4% |
33% |
-13 |
-15 |
-22 |
| Treatment of asylum seekers |
20% |
37% |
14% |
30% |
-17 |
-18 |
-20 |
| Managing population growth |
21% |
33% |
7% |
39% |
-12 |
-15 |
-19 |
Note – Differences are calculated by subtracting Liberal % from Labor % – except for the two issues on which the Greens lead in which case it is Greens minus Liberal.
Labor has a significant lead over the Liberal Party only on ensuring a fair industrial relations system. The Liberal Party has maintained strong leads on management of the economy, controlling interest rates, political leadership, security and the war on terrorism, treatment of asylum seekers and managing population growth.
There is little difference between Labor and the Liberals on ensuring a quality education for all children, ensuring the quality of Australia’s health system and protecting Australian jobs and protection of local industries. Since November, there has been very little shift on any issue.
bank fees, banking, banking regulation, banks, controlling interest rates, Interest rates, loans, off-shoring, Reserve Bank, salaries
Q. Would you support or oppose the following regulations for Australia’s banks?
| Total support | Total oppose | Strongly support | Support | Oppose | Strongly oppose | Don’t know | |
| Stopping banks from sending jobs off-shore | 83% | 7% | 46% | 37% | 5% | 2% | 9% |
| Only permitting banks to change interest rates in line with Reserve Bank rates | 82% | 11% | 53% | 29% | 8% | 3% | 7% |
| Capping bank CEO’s salaries | 84% | 9% | 60% | 24% | 7% | 2% | 6% |
| Ensuring bank fees are not higher than the actual cost of the service | 91% | 4% | 67% | 24% | 3% | 1% | 4% |
| A requirement to let customers know if their personal data is being sent to other countries for processing | 93% | 2% | 71% | 22% | 2% | * | 6% |
| Tougher rules about giving loans and credit | 74% | 15% | 32% | 42% | 13% | 2% | 12% |
More than 90% support regulations requiring banks to let customers know if their personal data is being sent to other countries for processing and ensuring bank fees are not higher than the actual cost of the service. Over 80% support stopping banks from sending jobs off-shore, only permitting banks to change interest rates in line with Reserve Bank rates and capping bank CEO’s salaries.
There were no substantial differences by voting intention – all regulations were strongly supported by all voter groups.
| Total support | Vote Labor | Vote Lib/Nat | Vote Greens | |
| Stopping banks from sending jobs off-shore | 83% | 85% | 85% | 83% |
| Only permitting banks to change interest rates in line with Reserve Bank rates | 82% | 87% | 82% | 73% |
| Capping bank CEO’s salaries | 84% | 88% | 83% | 86% |
| Ensuring bank fees are not higher than the actual cost of the service | 91% | 93% | 93% | 90% |
| A requirement to let customers know if their personal data is being sent to other countries for processing | 93% | 94% | 93% | 94% |
| Tougher rules about giving loans and credit | 74% | 71% | 80% | 77% |
asylum seekers, climate change, controlling interest rates, Election Issues, fair industrial relations system, management of the economy, population growth, protecting the environment, quality education for all children, quality of Australia’s health system
Q. Which are the three most important issues in deciding how you would vote at a Federal election? (Number from 1 to 3 where 1 is the most important, 2 the second most important, etc)
| Total | Labor | Liberal | Green | |
| Management of the economy | 62% | 59% | 74% | 46% |
| Ensuring a quality education for all children | 32% | 37% | 26% | 23% |
| Ensuring the quality of Australia’s health system | 48% | 53% | 47% | 43% |
| Protecting the environment | 12% | 12% | 8% | 27% |
| A fair industrial relations system | 11% | 18% | 6% | 14% |
| Political leadership | 16% | 16% | 17% | 10% |
| Addressing climate change | 11% | 15% | 4% | 35% |
| Controlling interest rates | 17% | 11% | 22% | 12% |
| Australian jobs and protection of local industries | 30% | 34% | 27% | 15% |
| Ensuring a quality water supply | 6% | 4% | 8% | 13% |
| Housing affordability | 17% | 12% | 16% | 20% |
| Ensuring a fair taxation system | 16% | 12% | 20% | 16% |
| Security and the war on terrorism | 6% | 3% | 8% | 2% |
| Treatment of asylum seekers | 5% | 3% | 5% | 10% |
| Managing population growth | 10% | 7% | 13% | 9% |
Labor voters are more likely to rate ensuring the quality of Australia’s health system (53%), ensuring a quality education for all children (37%) and a fair industrial relations system (18%) as important.
Liberal/National voters attach more importance to management of the economy (74%) and controlling interest rates (22%) while Greens voters are more likely to nominate addressing climate change (35%) and protecting the environment (27%).
controlling interest rates, Election Issues, fair industrial relations system, management of the economy, quality education for all children, Security, war on terrorism
Q. And which party would you trust most to handle the following issues?
| Labor | Liberal | Greens | Don’t know | |
| Management of the economy | 37% | 42% | 2% | 19% |
| Ensuring a quality education for all children | 42% | 31% | 4% | 23% |
| Ensuring the quality of Australia’s health system | 36% | 35% | 5% | 25% |
| Protecting the environment | 19% | 20% | 40% | 21% |
| A fair industrial relations system | 44% | 30% | 4% | 22% |
| Political leadership | 34% | 36% | 5% | 25% |
| Addressing climate change | 21% | 22% | 31% | 26% |
| Controlling interest rates | 28% | 42% | 2% | 29% |
| Protecting Australian jobs and protection of local industries | 41% | 33% | 3% | 23% |
| Ensuring a quality water supply | 24% | 27% | 21% | 29% |
| Housing affordability | 31% | 31% | 4% | 34% |
| Ensuring a fair taxation system | 35% | 35% | 3% | 28% |
| Security and the war on terrorism | 27% | 35% | 4% | 34% |
| Treatment of asylum seekers | 26% | 33% | 9% | 33% |
| Standing up for regular Australian working families | 44% | 28% | 4% | 23% |
| Managing population growth | 28% | 33% | 7% | 33% |
| Making sure Australian working people got fair treatment at their workplace | 45% | 29% | 3% | 23% |
Labor is trusted most to handle a fair industrial relations system (44%), ensuring a quality education for all children (42%) and protecting Australian jobs and protection of local industries (41%).
The Liberals are trusted most to handle management of the economy (42%), controlling interest rates (42%) and security and the war on terrorism (35%).
controlling interest rates, economic issues, economy, EMC, ER, essential report, global financial crisis, Housing affordability, Interest rates, Reserve Bank
Q. Which of the following statements most closely reflects your opinion on the cause of the recent increase in official interest rates?
| % | |
| The Reserve Bank independently sets interest rates to avoid inflation | 30% |
| It’s just a correction to the historic low interest rates during the Global Financial Crisis | 18% |
| The Federal Government has managed the economy well and the rate increase is a sign of a strong economy | 15% |
| The Federal Government has managed the economy badly and so rates are rising | 9% |
| The world economy is the biggest factor in interest rates, not the Australian economy | 9% |
| House prices are rising and pushing up interest rates | 5% |
| Don’t know | 15% |
When it comes to what the public perceive are the causes of the recent increase in official interest rates, 30% think that the Reserve Bank independently sets interest rates to avoid inflation and 18% think that interest rate rises are a correction to the historic low interest rates during the Global Financial Crisis. 15% think that the Federal Government has managed the economy well and the rate increase is a sign of a strong economy.
Only 9% think it is because the Government has managed the economy badly.
Coalition voters were more likely to think that the Reserve Bank independently setting interest rates to avoid inflation is the cause of the recent increase in interest rates (39%). Labor voters were more likely to think the increase in interest rates is because the Federal Government has managed the economy well and the rate increase is a sign of a strong economy (28%). Green voters were more likely to think the recent interest rate rises are just a correction to the historic low interest rates during the Global Financial Crisis (24%).