Q. Would you support or oppose increasing the GST if income taxes were reduced at the same time?
| Total | Vote Labor | Vote Lib/Nat | Vote Greens | Vote Other | ||
| Total support | 38% | 30% | 52% | 32% | 39% | |
| Total oppose | 42% | 52% | 33% | 57% | 43% | |
| Strongly support | 10% | 7% | 17% | 5% | 6% | |
| Support | 28% | 23% | 35% | 27% | 33% | |
| Oppose | 23% | 26% | 21% | 23% | 25% | |
| Strongly oppose | 19% | 26% | 12% | 24% | 18% | |
| Don’t know | 20% | 18% | 15% | 20% | 18% |
38% support increasing the GST if income taxes were reduced at the same time and 42% oppose.
A majority (52%) of Liberal/National voters support increasing GST and a majority of Labor (52%) and Greens voters (57%) oppose.
For those on higher incomes ($1,600+ pw), 50% support and 32% oppose.
Commonwealth Bank, ER, Essential Report, Federal Government, GST, Privatising Medicare, Qantas, superannuation, Telstra, trade protection
Q. Thinking about some of the major decisions the Federal Government has made over recent years, do you think the following decisions have been good for Australia or bad for Australia?
| Total good | Total Bad | Very good | Good | Neither good nor bad | Bad | Very bad | Don’t know | |
| Introducing the GST | 39% | 30% | 10% | 29% | 24% | 17% | 13% | 7% |
| Privatising Qantas | 23% | 44% | 4% | 19% | 20% | 31% | 13% | 13% |
| Privatising Telstra | 20% | 53% | 4% | 16% | 16% | 32% | 21% | 10% |
| Privatising the Commonwealth Bank | 26% | 42% | 7% | 19% | 19% | 25% | 17% | 13% |
| Floating the dollar | 46% | 11% | 13% | 33% | 22% | 7% | 4% | 21% |
| Free trade agreements | 41% | 21% | 11% | 30% | 21% | 13% | 8% | 18% |
| Compulsory superannuation | 79% | 7% | 42% | 37% | 10% | 4% | 3% | 5% |
| Medibank (now Medicare) | 76% | 6% | 38% | 38% | 12% | 4% | 2% | 6% |
Only the Government decisions to introduce compulsory superannuation (79%) and Medibank (76%) were considered good for Australia by a majority of respondents – although opinions of floating the dollar (46% good/11% bad), free trade agreements (41%/21%) and the GST (39%/30%) were more likely to be positive than negative.
The decisions to privatize three major national enterprises were more likely to be considered bad. Although Labor voters were more negative about privatisations, Liberal/National voters were also more likely to describe them bad for Australia – Qantas 47% bad/34% good, Telstra 49%/29% and Commonwealth Bank 38%/36%.
47% of Labor voters thought the introduction of the GST was bad while 50% of Liberal/National voters thought it was good.
Commonwealth Bank, ER, Essential Report, Federal Government, GST, Privatising Medicare, Qantas, superannuation, Telstra, trade protection
Q. Would you support or oppose the Federal Government taking any of the following decisions –
| Total support | Total oppose | Strongly support | Support | Oppose | Strongly oppose | Don’t know | |
| Abolishing the GST | 35% | 43% | 14% | 21% | 24% | 19% | 21% |
| Buying back Qantas | 43% | 34% | 13% | 30% | 23% | 11% | 22% |
| Buying back Telstra | 47% | 33% | 16% | 31% | 22% | 11% | 20% |
| Buying back the Commonwealth Bank | 41% | 36% | 13% | 28% | 24% | 12% | 23% |
| Regulating the dollar | 32% | 36% | 10% | 22% | 22% | 14% | 32% |
| Increasing trade protection | 59% | 20% | 20% | 39% | 13% | 7% | 21% |
| Making superannuation voluntary | 24% | 64% | 9% | 15% | 26% | 38% | 13% |
| Privatising Medicare | 11% | 74% | 4% | 7% | 26% | 48% | 17% |
When asked whether these decisions should be reversed, 59% supported increasing trade protection and 47% supported buying back Telstra. There was very strong opposition to privatizing Medicare (74%) and making superannuation voluntary (64%). No other issues had clear majority support or opposition.
Liberal/National voters supported buying back Telstra (47% to 39%), were split on Qantas (43%/41%), but opposed buying back the Commonwealth Bank (39%/44%).
Although Coalition voters were more likely to think free trade agreements were good for Australia (41%/25%), they were also more likely than Labor voters to support increasing trade protection (64%/19%) – 59% of Labor voters supported more trade protection and 21% opposed.
Carbon Tax, Essential Report, GST, Mining tax, negative gearing, Polling, tax, tax reform
Q. For each of the following proposals around tax reform, please indicate whether you strongly support, support, oppose or strongly oppose the suggestion.
| Total Support | Total Oppose | Strongly support | Support | Oppose | Strongly Oppose | Don’t know | ||
| Decreasing income tax for low income earners | 81% | 11% | 34% | 47% | 8% | 3% | 7% | |
| Improving tax breaks for small-medium business | 76% | 10% | 20% | 56% | 7% | 3% | 13% | |
| Increasing the mining tax | 47% | 37% | 16% | 31% | 22% | 15% | 16% | |
| Abolishing negative gearing on new property purchases | 33% | 37% | 8% | 25% | 20% | 17% | 29% | |
| Cutting the company tax rate | 32% | 41% | 6% | 26% | 29% | 12% | 28% | |
| Repealing the fringe benefits tax | 30% | 28% | 7% | 23% | 19% | 9% | 42% | |
| Increasing the carbon tax | 19% | 68% | 5% | 14% | 21% | 47% | 13% | |
| Introducing an inheritance tax | 10% | 75% | 3% | 7% | 24% | 51% | 15% | |
| Increasing the goods and services tax (GST) | 9% | 84% | 1% | 8% | 31% | 53% | 7% |
Decreasing income tax for low income earners has the strongest support from respondents, with 81% either strongly supporting or supporting the suggestion. Improving tax breaks for small-medium business also attracted a similar amount of endorsement (76% total support).
Increasing the mining tax has a significant amount of support (47% total support).
Whilst the proposed reforms of abolishing negative gearing on new property purchases and cutting the company tax rate attracted a significant amount of support, more respondents are opposed to these measures than in favour of them: with 37% opposed to abolishing negative gearing and 41% opposed to cutting the company tax rate.
Strongest opposition is registered against the proposal to increase the GST, with 84% opposed to the idea and only 9% in favour of it. Introducing an inheritance tax is similarly unpopular (75% total opposed).
Carbon Tax, Essential Report, GST, income tax, Mining tax, negative gearing, Polling, tax
Q. For each of the following proposals around tax reform, please indicate whether you strongly support, support, oppose or strongly oppose the suggestion.
| Total Support | Total Support – Labor | Total Support – Lib/Nat | Total Support – Greens | ||
| Decreasing income tax for low income earners | 81% | 85% | 81% | 81% | |
| Improving tax breaks for small-medium business | 76% | 74% | 85% | 71% | |
| Increasing the mining tax | 47% | 67% | 35% | 72% | |
| Abolishing negative gearing on new property purchases | 33% | 37% | 33% | 38% | |
| Cutting the company tax rate | 32% | 24% | 43% | 25% | |
| Repealing the fringe benefits tax | 30% | 25% | 40% | 22% | |
| Increasing the carbon tax | 19% | 29% | 8% | 60% | |
| Introducing an inheritance tax | 10% | 14% | 10% | 18% | |
| Increasing the goods and services tax (GST) | 9% | 7% | 12% | 12% |
Labor voters are far more likely to support increasing the mining tax (47% total support) and increasing the carbon tax (29% total support).
Coalition voters are more likely to support improving tax breaks for small-medium business (85% total support), cutting the company tax rate (43% total support), repealing the fringe benefits tax (40% total support) and increasing the GST (12% total support).
Greens voters are the most likely to support increasing the mining tax (72%) and by far the most likely to support increasing the carbon tax (60% total support). They are also more likely to support introducing an inheritance tax (18% total support) and increasing the GST (12% total support).
Australian companies, EMC, ER, Essential Report, GST, online purchasing, overseas companies, purchasing frequency
Q. About how often have you purchased items and products on-line in the last 12 months (for example – books, clothing, computers, electrical appliances)?
| Once | 6% |
| 2 or 3 times | 25% |
| 4-6 times | 21% |
| 7-12 times | 15% |
| More than 12 times | 20% |
| Total purchased online in last 12 months | 88% |
| Not in last 12 months | 12% |
88% of respondents said they had purchased items and products online in the last 12 months. 35% had purchased online more than six times in the last 12 months.
44% of those aged 25-34 and 43% of those aged 35-44 said they had purchased online more than six times.
Australian companies, EMC, ER, Essential Report, GST, online products, online purchasing, overseas companies, products
If bought online in last 12 months –
Q. Which of the following products have you purchased on-line from Australian or overseas companies in last 12 months?
| Purchased from Australian companies | Purchased from overseas companies | Not purchased | |
| Books | 34% | 25% | 50% |
| Music and video | 36% | 19% | 52% |
| Clothing and shoes | 37% | 18% | 54% |
| Computers and computer accessories | 35% | 19% | 55% |
| Cameras | 11% | 6% | 85% |
| Electrical appliances | 25% | 8% | 69% |
| Furniture | 12% | 2% | 86% |
| Wine and food | 27% | 4% | 70% |
| Other products | 52% | 28% | 37% |
* Note – percentages are based on the respondents who said they bought online in the last 12 months.
Of those who had bought online, the most common purchases were books (50%), music and video (48%) clothing and shoes (46%) and computers and accessories (45%).
Respondents were more likely to buy products online from Australian companies – for most products, they were about twice as likely to buy from Australian companies as from overseas companies.
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.