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  • Oct, 2011

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    Whether Government favours Businesses or Workers

    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.

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  • Oct, 2011

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    Whether Opposition favours Businesses or Workers

    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%.

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  • May, 2011

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    Interests Represented by Parties

    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.

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  • Jan, 2011

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    On-line Purchasing – Reasons

    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.

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  • Jan, 2011

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    On-line Purchasing Behaviour

    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.

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  • Jan, 2011

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    GST on On-line Purchasing

    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.

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  • Jan, 2011

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    Government decision making

    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.

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