corporate interests, Essential Report, Labor, Polling, worker interests
Q. Do you think the Federal Labor Government favours the interests of businesses or workers?
| Total | Vote Labor | Vote Lib/Nat | Vote Greens | |
| Total favour businesses | 28% | 21% | 31% | 40% |
| Total favour workers | 41% | 40% | 50% | 28% |
| Favour businesses a lot more than workers | 13% | 7% | 16% | 18% |
| Favour businesses a little more than workers | 15% | 14% | 15% | 22% |
| Favour workers a little more than businesses | 24% | 32% | 21% | 20% |
| Favour workers a lot more than businesses | 17% | 8% | 29% | 8% |
| Balance the interests of businesses and workers | 14% | 29% | 5% | 15% |
| Don’t know | 17% | 10% | 14% | 17% |
41% think that the Federal Labor Government favours the interests of workers, 28% think they favour the interests of businesses and 14% think they balance their interests.
Labor voters think the favour workers over business by 40% to 21% and 29% think they balance their interests.
Liberal /National voters are much less likely to think they balance their interests – 50% think they favour workers’ interests and 31% think they favour businesses. Greens voters are more likely to think they favour the interests of businesses (40%) over workers (28%).
The only substantial difference across demographic groups is that 20% of older respondents (aged 55+) think the Government balances the interests of businesses and workers.
corporate interests, Essential Report, Liberal, Nationals, Polling, workers interests
Q. Do you think the Federal Liberal/National opposition parties favour the interests of businesses or workers?
| Total | Vote Labor | Vote Lib/Nat | Vote Greens | |
| Total favour businesses | 61% | 79% | 50% | 73% |
| Total favour workers | 8% | 5% | 12% | 5% |
| Favour businesses a lot more than workers | 36% | 63% | 14% | 57% |
| Favour businesses a little more than workers | 25% | 16% | 36% | 16% |
| Favour workers a little more than businesses | 7% | 4% | 11% | 4% |
| Favour workers a lot more than businesses | 1% | 1% | 1% | 1% |
| Balance the interests of businesses and workers | 14% | 3% | 27% | 4% |
| Don’t know | 17% | 12% | 10% | 19% |
61% think that the Federal Opposition favours the interests of businesses, 8% think they favour the interests of workers and 14% think they balance their interests.
Labor voters think they favour businesses over workers by 79% to 5% and Greens voters are also much more likely to think they favour the interests of businesses (73%) over workers (5%).
Liberal /National voters are more likely to think they balance their interests (27%) – although 50% think they favour businesses’ interests and only 12% think they favour workers.
Men are more likely to think they favour the interests of businesses over workers by 66% to 9% compared to women 55% to 8%.
corporate interests, Essential Media, Essential Report, ethnic communities, federal politics, generation, Greens, indigenous, Labor, Liberal, Nationals, pensioners, Polling, polls, regional, rural, self-employed, small business, students, voter interests, welfare, working families
Q. Which political party do you think best represents the interests of –
| Labor | Liberal | Greens | Don’t know | |
| Families with young children | 34% | 31% | 5% | 29% |
| Students | 30% | 28% | 10% | 33% |
| Working people on average incomes | 40% | 32% | 5% | 23% |
| Working people on low incomes | 43% | 27% | 6% | 24% |
| Working people on high incomes | 13% | 63% | 2% | 22% |
| People on welfare | 38% | 23% | 8% | 30% |
| Pensioners | 33% | 28% | 5% | 34% |
| Small businesses and self-employed | 20% | 47% | 4% | 29% |
| Big business | 13% | 62% | 2% | 23% |
| The next generation of Australians | 19% | 31% | 17% | 33% |
| Indigenous people | 23% | 21% | 16% | 40% |
| Ethnic communities | 22% | 21% | 15% | 42% |
| Rural and regional Australians | 18% | 34% | 11% | 36% |
The Labor Party is considered the party which best represents the interests of working people on low and average incomes, people on welfare and pensioners. The Liberal Party is considered best at representing the interests of people on high incomes, big business, small business and self-employed, rural and regional Australians and the next generation. The Greens’ main strengths are in representing the next generation, indigenous people and ethnic communities.
There was little difference between the major parties in terms of representing the interests of families with young children, students, indigenous people and ethnic communities.
corporate interests, EMC, ER, Essential Report, online purchasing, voter interests
If bought online in last 12 months –
Q. How important are the following as reasons for you buying online?
| Very important | Quite important | A little important | Not important | Don’t know | |
| Cheaper price | 60% | 29% | 9% | 2% | 1% |
| More choice | 45% | 35% | 15% | 4% | 1% |
| More convenient | 50% | 32% | 13% | 4% | 1% |
* Note – percentages are based on the respondents who said they bought online in the last 12 months.
60% said the cheaper price was very important in their decision to buy online, 50% said convenience was very important and 45% choice.
Of those who bought online more than six times, 66% say price is very important, 63% convenience and 56% choice.
corporate interests, EMC, ER, Essential Report, GST, online purchasing, voter interests
Q. In the last 12 months, have you ever looked at items or products in a store, then bought it on line?
Q. In the last 12 months, have you ever looked at items or products on line, then bought it at a store (i.e. an actual shop or store, not an “online store”)?
| Looked at store, bought on-line | 49% |
| Looked on-line, bought at store | 61% |
49% of all respondents said they had looked at products in a store, then bought online – while 61% said they had looked online, then bought at a store.
corporate interests, EMC, ER, Essential Report, GST, online purchasing, overseas companies, voter interests
Q. Currently GST is not charged on on-line purchases of less than $1,000 from overseas companies. Would you approve or disapprove GST being applied to on-line purchases of less than $1,000 from overseas companies?
| Total | Vote Labor | Vote Lib/Nat | Vote Greens | |
| Total approve | 18% | 17% | 22% | 19% |
| Total disapprove | 71% | 74% | 67% | 73% |
| Strongly approve | 6% | 8% | 6% | 5% |
| Approve | 12% | 9% | 16% | 14% |
| Disapprove | 23% | 22% | 25% | 19% |
| Strongly disapprove | 48% | 52% | 42% | 54% |
| Don’t know | 11% | 9% | 11% | 8% |
71% disapprove of GST being applied to on-line purchases of less than $1,000 from overseas companies and 18% approve.
Strongest disapproval is shown by women (74%), Labor voters (74%), Greens voters (73%) and age groups 35-44 (77%) and 25-34 (74%).
74% of online shoppers disapprove and 17% approve – while for those who buy online more often (more than six times a year) 80% disapprove and 12% approve.
corporate interests, EMC, ER, Essential Report, GST, online purchasing, voter interests
Q. Governments often need to consider the interests of a number of stakeholders when making decisions, including those of corporate interests. In general, do you think when governments make decisions, they –
| Total | Vote Labor | Vote Lib/Nat | Vote Greens | |
| Total favour corporate interests | 60% | 64% | 55% | 76% |
| Total favour voter interests | 9% | 4% | 14% | 2% |
| Very strongly favour corporate interests | 26% | 27% | 20% | 40% |
| Somewhat favour corporate interests | 34% | 37% | 35% | 36% |
| Balance the interests of voters and corporate interests | 19% | 21% | 22% | 15% |
| Somewhat favour the interests of voters | 5% | 2% | 9% | – |
| Very strongly favour the interests of voters | 4% | 2% | 5% | 2% |
| Don’t know | 12% | 12% | 8% | 6% |
60% of respondents think that governments in general make decisions in favour of corporate interests. 9% think they make decisions in favour of voter interests and 19% think they balance the interests of voters and corporations.
By gender – men split 56% corporate interests, 12% voters interests, 24% balanced and women 65% corporate, 4% voters, 15% balanced.