Federal budget priorities
Q. The Federal Budget will be announced on Tuesday 8th Do you think the Government should increase, decrease or keep spending the same for –
| Increase spending | Keep spending the same | Decrease spending | Don’t know | Increase spending May 2017 | Change since May 2017 | ||
| Health care | 67% | 25% | 3% | 5% | 62% | +5 | |
| Age pensions | 56% | 31% | 5% | 8% | 48% | +8 | |
| Education | 55% | 33% | 6% | 6% | 54% | +1 | |
| More affordable housing | 52% | 36% | 6% | 6% | 44% | +8 | |
| Assistance to the needy in Australia | 46% | 41% | 7% | 7% | 38% | +8 | |
| Protecting Australian jobs | 44% | 43% | 6% | 7% | 44% | – | |
| Renewable energy | 43% | 39% | 12% | 6% | 41% | +2 | |
| Public transport infrastructure | 41% | 44% | 8% | 7% | 47% | -6 | |
| Building highways, roads | 37% | 48% | 9% | 6% | 38% | +1 | |
| Scientific research | 36% | 48% | 9% | 7% | 37% | -1 | |
| Environmental protection | 35% | 44% | 15% | 6% | 30% | +5 | |
| Assistance to the unemployed | 33% | 44% | 17% | 6% | 22% | +11 | |
| Anti-terrorism | 31% | 51% | 11% | 7% | 32% | -1 | |
| Military/defence | 20% | 50% | 23% | 7% | 20% | – | |
| Assistance to businesses | 13% | 47% | 33% | 7% | 10% | +3 | |
| Assistance to the needy in the rest of the world | 12% | 33% | 48% | 7% | 11% | +1 |
The areas with majority support for increasing spending were health care (67% support), age pensions (56%), education (55%) and affordable housing (52%).
Since this time last year, the main changes have been increased support for spending on assistance to the unemployed (up 11%), age pensions (up 8%), more affordable housing (up 8%) and assistance to the needy in Australia (up 8%).
The areas with the highest support for decreasing spending were assistance to the needy in the rest of the world (48% support), assistance to businesses (33%) and military/defence (23%).
Federal budget impact
Q. In general, do you expect the Federal Budget, will be good or bad for the following?
| Total good | Total bad | Very good | Good | Neither good nor bad | Bad | Very bad | Don’t know | Total Good (May ’17) | Total Bad (May ’17) | ||
| People who are well off | 55% | 8% | 27% | 28% | 26% | 6% | 2% | 11% | 44% | 7% | |
| Australian business | 47% | 8% | 10% | 37% | 31% | 7% | 1% | 12% | 43% | 8% | |
| The economy overall | 35% | 19% | 6% | 29% | 34% | 15% | 4% | 12% | 21% | 24% | |
| Average working people | 24% | 29% | 4% | 20% | 36% | 24% | 5% | 10% | 12% | 35% | |
| Australian families | 23% | 31% | 5% | 18% | 33% | 24% | 7% | 11% | 14% | 36% | |
| People of lower incomes | 22% | 43% | 5% | 17% | 25% | 27% | 16% | 11% | 11% | 48% | |
| Older Australians | 20% | 24% | 5% | 15% | 27% | 28% | 12% | 12% | 10% | 45% | |
| Younger Australians | 19% | 28% | 4% | 15% | 41% | 20% | 8% | 12% | 11% | 33% | |
| You personally | 18% | 24% | 5% | 13% | 47% | 18% | 6% | 11% | 10% | 30% |
55% thought that the Federal Budget would be good for people who are well off (up 11% from last year’s budget). 47% thought it would be good for Australian business (up 4%), and 35% thought it would be good for the economy overall (up 14%). Less than 25% thought the budget would be good for any another group – although for each group, respondents were more optimistic than last year.
18% thought the Federal Budget would be good for them personally (up 8% from last year’s budget), and 24% thought it would be bad for them (down 6%).
Important budget issues
Q. Which of the following areas do you think is most important for the Government to address?
| Total | Vote Labor | Vote Lib/Nat | Vote Greens | Vote other | ||
| More funding to schools and hospitals | 28% | 32% | 26% | 35% | 21% | |
| Supporting industries that create jobs | 22% | 19% | 29% | 13% | 25% | |
| Personal tax cuts | 17% | 16% | 18% | 11% | 22% | |
| Building infrastructure | 12% | 10% | 15% | 20% | 9% | |
| Fully funding the NDIS | 8% | 11% | 4% | 11% | 14% | |
| Don’t know | 13% | 11% | 9% | 10% | 9% |
28% thought that more funding to schools and hospitals was the most important area for the Government to address, 22% nominated supporting industries that create jobs and 17% wanted personal tax cuts.
Labor (32%) and Greens (35%) voters were more likely to prefer more funding for schools and hospitals while 29% of Liberal National voters nominated supporting industries that create jobs.
Budget Surplus
Q. How important is it that the Government returns the budget to surplus?
| Total | Vote Labor | Vote Lib/Nat | Vote Greens | Vote other | ||
| Total important | 71% | 63% | 87% | 49% | 78% | |
| Total not important | 19% | 28% | 9% | 43% | 13% | |
| Very important | 31% | 21% | 47% | 8% | 38% | |
| Somewhat important | 40% | 42% | 40% | 41% | 40% | |
| Not very important | 15% | 23% | 7% | 33% | 11% | |
| Not at all important | 4% | 5% | 2% | 10% | 2% | |
| Don’t know | 10% | 9% | 4% | 8% | 9% |
71% thought that returning the budget to surplus was important. Those most likely to think this were Liberal/National voters (87% important), those earning over $104,000 (78%) and those working full time (76%).
19% thought that returning the budget to surplus was not important. Those most likely to think this were Greens voters (43% not important) and ALP voters (28%).
Budget Surplus or Spending
Q. Do you think it is more important for the Government to return the budget to surplus as soon as possible – which may mean cutting services and raising taxes – OR should they delay the return to surplus and maintain services and invest in infrastructure?
| Total | Vote Labor | Vote Lib/Nat | Vote Greens | Vote other | ||
| Return to surplus as soon as possible, cut services, raise taxes | 18% | 12% | 28% | 7% | 16% | |
| Delay return to surplus, maintain services, invest in infrastructure | 65% | 75% | 59% | 81% | 67% | |
| Don’t know | 18% | 13% | 12% | 12% | 17% |
65% thought it was more important to delay a return to surplus, maintain services and invest in infrastructure. Those most likely to think this were Greens voters (81%) and ALP voters (75%).
18% it was more important to return to surplus as soon as possible. Those most likely to sat think were Liberal/National voters (28%), those aged 65+ (22%) and those earning over $104,000 (22%).
Federal Budget
Q. In general, do you think the Federal Budget, announced on Tuesday 13th May 2014 was good or bad for?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total Good |
Total Bad |
Very good |
Good |
Neither good nor bad |
Bad |
Very bad |
Don’t know |
| You personally |
13% |
52% |
3% |
10% |
31% |
29% |
23% |
4% |
| Average working people |
14% |
59% |
2% |
12% |
24% |
34% |
25% |
3% |
| Australian business |
36% |
23% |
7% |
29% |
32% |
14% |
9% |
8% |
| The economy over all |
40% |
32% |
11% |
29% |
23% |
18% |
14% |
6% |
| People who are well off |
45% |
16% |
16% |
29% |
33% |
11% |
5% |
6% |
| People on lower incomes |
11% |
66% |
3% |
8% |
18% |
27% |
39% |
4% |
| Australian families |
11% |
62% |
3% |
8% |
24% |
32% |
30% |
4% |
| Older Australians |
10% |
66% |
2% |
8% |
19% |
28% |
38% |
4% |
| Younger Australians |
16% |
55% |
5% |
11% |
25% |
22% |
33% |
5% |
More Australians thought that the budget would be bad for each of the group than thought it would be good.
The only exceptions were ‘people who are well off’ (45% good, 16% bad) and ‘Australian business’ (36% thought the budget would be good, 23% bad).
The areas with the highest ‘bad’ rating were ‘older Australians’ (66%), ‘people on lower incomes’ (66%), ‘Australian families’ (62%) and ‘average working people’ (59%).
Download the Essential Report for a voting intention breakdown of this question.
Federal budget: comparison to pre-budget expectations
Q. In general, do you think the next Federal Budget, to be announced on Tuesday 13th May 2014 will be good or bad for?
|
Pre-Budget |
Post-Budget |
|||
|
|
Total Good |
Total Bad |
Total Good |
Total Bad |
| You personally |
8% |
55% |
13% |
52% |
| Average working people |
9% |
63% |
14% |
59% |
| Australian business |
25% |
33% |
36% |
23% |
| The economy over all |
28% |
36% |
40% |
32% |
| People who are well off |
40% |
23% |
45% |
16% |
| People on lower incomes |
12% |
60% |
11% |
66% |
| Australian families |
11% |
59% |
11% |
62% |
| Older Australians |
8% |
67% |
10% |
66% |
| Younger Australians |
11% |
49% |
16% |
55% |
Perceptions of the how the budget will impact on each of these groups have not shifted dramatically from when the question was last asked prior to the budget.
The key areas of difference are listed below:
- Compared to prior to the budget, less people now think this that the budget will be bad for Australian business (33% before, 23% after).
- More people now believe that the budget will be bad for people on lower incomes (60% before, 66% after) and ‘younger Australians’ (49% before, 55% after).
Decisions made in the Budget
Decisions made in the Budget (1)
Q. Do you support or oppose the following decisions that were made in the latest Federal Budget, announced on Tuesday 13th May:
|
Total Support |
Total Oppose |
Strongly support |
Support |
Neither support nor oppose |
Oppose |
Strongly oppose |
Don’t know |
|
| Deregulation of university fees (meaning universities can set their own tuition fees) |
17% |
58% |
5% |
12% |
21% |
24% |
34% |
4% |
| Commonwealth funding extended to students at TAFEs, private colleges and sub-bachelor degrees at a cost of $820 million over three years |
43% |
20% |
9% |
34% |
30% |
10% |
10% |
7% |
| $7 Medicare co-payment for all visits to the GP, with this money to be used to fund a Medical Research Future Fund. |
29% |
50% |
7% |
22% |
18% |
18% |
32% |
2% |
| General patients to pay $5 more and concessional patients 80¢ more for prescription drugs. |
23% |
58% |
5% |
18% |
18% |
26% |
32% |
2% |
| Eligibility for the age pension to rise to 70 by 2035 |
17% |
61% |
4% |
13% |
20% |
22% |
39% |
3% |
| A six-month waiting period for those under-30 before they can access the dole (Newstart) |
39% |
41% |
16% |
23% |
17% |
19% |
22% |
3% |
| Tightening eligibility criteria for disability support pensioners for those under 35 |
42% |
33% |
12% |
30% |
21% |
16% |
17% |
4% |
| University graduates to repay HELP debt once they earn $50,638 (reduced from $53,345) |
53% |
23% |
16% |
37% |
22% |
12% |
11% |
3% |
| Cut 16,500 full-time jobs from the public service in the next 3 years |
31% |
43% |
10% |
21% |
22% |
20% |
23% |
4% |
| Privatise the Royal Australian Mint |
18% |
42% |
4% |
14% |
31% |
18% |
24% |
10% |
| Make those under 25 apply for Youth Allowance, instead of Newstart (Youth Allowance is around $100 less per fortnight |
44% |
32% |
13% |
31% |
21% |
16% |
16% |
3% |
Decisions made in the Budget (1) (by voting intention)
Q. Do you support or oppose the following decisions that were made in the latest Federal Budget, announced on Tuesday 13th May:
|
Vote Labor |
Vote Lib/Nat |
Vote Green |
||||
|
Total Support |
Total Oppose |
Total Support |
Total Oppose |
Total Support |
Total Oppose |
|
| Deregulation of university fees (meaning universities can set their own tuition fees) |
8% |
81% |
28% |
35% |
14% |
69% |
| Commonwealth funding extended to students at TAFEs, private colleges and sub-bachelor degrees at a cost of $820 million over three years |
37% |
27% |
54% |
13% |
49% |
8% |
| $7 Medicare co-payment for all visits to the GP, with this money to be used to fund a Medical Research Future Fund. |
10% |
74% |
56% |
21% |
18% |
67% |
| General patients to pay $5 more and concessional patients 80¢ more for prescription drugs. |
10% |
77% |
42% |
28% |
13% |
69% |
| Eligibility for the age pension to rise to 70 by 2035 |
7% |
80% |
31% |
37% |
13% |
62% |
| A six-month waiting period for those under-30 before they can access the dole (Newstart) |
24% |
60% |
65% |
15% |
17% |
64% |
| Tightening eligibility criteria for disability support pensioners for those under 35 |
32% |
49% |
62% |
15% |
26% |
46% |
| University graduates to repay HELP debt once they earn $50,638 (reduced from $53,345) |
39% |
36% |
74% |
8% |
40% |
33% |
| Cut 16,500 full-time jobs from the public service in the next 3 years |
15% |
64% |
57% |
16% |
18% |
59% |
| Privatise the Royal Australian Mint |
12% |
55% |
26% |
26% |
14% |
53% |
| Make those under 25 apply for Youth Allowance, instead of Newstart (Youth Allowance is around $100 less per fortnight |
25% |
52% |
72% |
8% |
28% |
47% |
Decisions made in the Budget (2)
Q. Do you support or oppose the following decisions that were made in the latest Federal Budget, announced on Tuesday 13th May:
|
Total Support |
Total Oppose |
Strongly support |
Support |
Neither support nor oppose |
Oppose |
Strongly oppose |
Don’t know |
|
| Spend $525 on a “green army” |
18% |
24% |
3% |
15% |
37% |
13% |
11% |
21% |
| Invest $2.1 million in solar projects in local communities |
59% |
11% |
15% |
44% |
25% |
7% |
4% |
6% |
| $100 million for mobile blackspot and wireless coverage in regional areas |
60% |
11% |
15% |
45% |
26% |
7% |
4% |
4% |
| A $120M cut to the ABC’s budget |
27% |
41% |
10% |
17% |
26% |
20% |
21% |
7% |
| Asylum seekers who have arrived by boat will lose the right to have their case independently reviewed or to have family reunions |
48% |
27% |
25% |
23% |
19% |
14% |
13% |
5% |
| Foreign aid frozen at current levels for two years, helping save $7.6 billion over five years |
64% |
13% |
28% |
36% |
18% |
6% |
7% |
5% |
| International commitment to spend 0.5 per cent of gross national income on foreign aid abandoned |
44% |
20% |
15% |
29% |
27% |
10% |
10% |
8% |
| $3.9bn over five years for major roads in Melbourne, Perth, Toowoomba, Adelaide and the Northern Territory |
55% |
15% |
13% |
42% |
26% |
9% |
6% |
5% |
| The HELP debt interest rate changed from CPI to the long term bond rate (an increase of around 1%) |
24% |
31% |
7% |
17% |
35% |
17% |
14% |
12% |
| Cut public funding for university courses by 20% |
18% |
49% |
5% |
13% |
29% |
25% |
24% |
4% |
Decisions made in the Budget (2) (by voting intention)
Q. Do you support or oppose the following decisions that were made in the latest Federal Budget, announced on Tuesday 13th May:
|
Vote Labor |
Vote Lib/Nat |
Vote Green |
||||
|
Total Support |
Total Oppose |
Total Support |
Total Oppose |
Total Support |
Total Oppose |
|
| Spend $525 on a “green army” |
13% |
32% |
26% |
18% |
20% |
12% |
| Invest $2.1 million in solar projects in local communities |
59% |
11% |
61% |
11% |
77% |
3% |
| $100 million for mobile blackspot and wireless coverage in regional areas |
56% |
14% |
72% |
6% |
54% |
8% |
| A $120M cut to the ABC’s budget |
14% |
56% |
48% |
21% |
9% |
72% |
| Asylum seekers who have arrived by boat will lose the right to have their case independently reviewed or to have family reunions |
36% |
39% |
71% |
9% |
22% |
54% |
| Foreign aid frozen at current levels for two years, helping save $7.6 billion over five years |
52% |
22% |
83% |
3% |
51% |
33% |
| International commitment to spend 0.5 per cent of gross national income on foreign aid abandoned |
32% |
29% |
64% |
8% |
23% |
49% |
| $3.9bn over five years for major roads in Melbourne, Perth, Toowoomba, Adelaide and the Northern Territory |
49% |
19% |
70% |
7% |
42% |
27% |
| The HELP debt interest rate changed from CPI to the long term bond rate (an increase of around 1%) |
13% |
44% |
40% |
14% |
17% |
51% |
| Cut public funding for university courses by 20% |
8% |
66% |
32% |
28% |
12% |
71% |
Decisions in the Budget: Comments
The highest levels of opposition were registered for:
- Eligibility for the age pension to rise to 70 by 2035 (61% oppose, 17% support)
- Deregulation of university fees (meaning universities can set their own tuition fees) (58% oppose, 17% support)
- General patients to pay $5 more and concessional patients 80¢ more for prescription drugs (58% oppose, 23% support)
- $7 Medicare co-payment for all visits to the GP, with this money to be used to fund a Medical Research Future Fund (50% oppose, 29% support)
The items that more than 50% of Australians supported were:
- University graduates to repay HELP debt once they earn $50,638 (reduced from $53,345) (53% support, 23% oppose)
- $3.9bn over five years for major roads in Melbourne, Perth, Toowoomba, Adelaide and the Northern Territory (55% support, 15% oppose)
- Invest $2.1 million in solar projects in local communities (59% support, 11% oppose)
- $100 million for mobile blackspot and wireless coverage in regional areas (60% support, 11% oppose)
- Foreign aid frozen at current levels for two years, helping save $7.6 billion over five years (64% support, 13% oppose)
The tables included demonstrate the various differences by voting intention.
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