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  • May, 2011

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    Family Payments

    Q. The Federal Budget has frozen the income levels above which parents become ineligible for family payments. Do you approve or disapprove of this decision?

    Total Vote Labor Vote Lib/Nat Vote Greens
    Total approve 52% 65% 47% 56%
    Total disapprove 28% 18% 38% 22%
    Strongly approve 17% 25% 12% 24%
    Approve 35% 40% 35% 32%
    Disapprove 20% 13% 25% 19%
    Strongly disapprove 8% 5% 13% 3%
    Don’t know 20% 17% 14% 22%

    52% of respondents approve of freezing the income levels above which parents become ineligible for family payments and 28% oppose.

    65% Labor and 56% of Greens voters approve – and Liberal/National voters are more likely to approve than disapprove (47%/38%).

    Respondents with dependent children approve 47%/37% and households earning over $150,000 approve 48%/37%.

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  • May, 2011

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    Perceptions of Welfare

    Q. Do you agree or disagree with the following statements?

    Total agree Total disagree Strongly agree Agree Disagree Strongly disagree Don’t know
    Households earning more than $150,000 a year don’t need help through family payments 67% 27% 29% 38% 20% 7% 6%
    Households on high incomes pay high taxes so should get family payments for bringing up children 33% 61% 7% 26% 41% 20% 7%
    Welfare payments should only go to those on low incomes 66% 29% 23% 43% 23% 6% 5%
    All taxpayers, regardless of their income, should be eligible for some form of Government payment 35% 57% 8% 27% 36% 21% 8%
    Family payments aren’t really welfare – they just provide assistance for families raising children. 60% 32% 14% 46% 23% 9% 7%
    Welfare payments should be reduced for those who have been on them long term. 41% 48% 15% 26% 33% 15% 12%
    Welfare and family payments should be lower to encourage people to be more self-reliant and not rely so much on the Government 40% 50% 12% 28% 35% 15% 9%
    People on low incomes receiving welfare should have to justify how they spend it 47% 46% 13% 34% 31% 15% 6%
    Welfare for low-income families is different from family payments to middle-income families 61% 22% 14% 47% 18% 4% 17%
    The purpose of welfare payments is to reduce the difference in income between people with higher incomes and those with lower incomes 40% 49% 8% 32% 36% 13% 11%

    About two-thirds of respondents agreed that “Households earning more than $150,000 a year don’t need help through family payments” (67%) and “Welfare payments should only go to those on low incomes” (66%).  Although these statements were more strongly supported by Labor and Greens voters, 61% of Liberal/National voters agree that “Households earning more than $150,000 a year don’t need help through family payments”.

    For households earning under $100K, 77% agree “Households earning more than $150,000 a year don’t need help through family payments” and 73% agree “Welfare payments should only go to those on low incomes”.

    However, of households earning $150K+, 62% disagree that “Households earning more than $150,000 a year don’t need help through family payments” and 50% disagree that “Welfare payments should only go to those on low incomes”.

    Although most respondents (60%) think that family payments are different from welfare benefits, only 33% agree that “Households on high incomes pay high taxes so should get family payments for bringing up children”.

    Opinions are divided over issues regarding the obligations of people receiving welfare. 47% agree that “People on low incomes receiving welfare should have to justify how they spend it” and 46% disagree – 58% of Liberal/National voters agree but 55% of Labor voters disagree.

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  • May, 2011

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    Support for Carbon Pricing

    Q. Do you support or oppose the Government’s recent announcement to introduce a carbon pricing scheme from 1 July 2012, which will require industries to pay a tax based on the amount of carbon pollution they emit?

    7 March 14 March 28 March 18 April Total Vote Labor Vote Lib/Nat Vote Greens
    Total support 35% 38% 34% 39% 41% 63% 20% 86%
    Total oppose 48% 49% 51% 49% 44% 19% 75% 9%
    Strongly support 9% 12% 12% 13% 14% 22% 4% 47%
    Support 26% 26% 22% 26% 27% 41% 16% 39%
    Oppose 19% 17% 19% 15% 15% 10% 23% 4%
    Strongly oppose 29% 32% 32% 34% 29% 9% 52% 5%
    Don’t know 18% 13% 15% 12% 15% 19% 5% 5%

    41% (+2%) support the introduction of a carbon pricing scheme and 44% (-5%) oppose. This represents a 7% shift in opinion in favour of a carbon pricing scheme since last month and is the highest level of support and lowest level of opposition since the scheme was announced.

    Women support the scheme 44%/39%, while men oppose 51%/38%. Younger people tend to support the scheme (aged under 35 – 47% support/35% oppose) while older respondents strongly oppose (aged 55+ – 35% support/55% oppose)

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  • May, 2011

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    Awareness of Superannuation Plan

    Q. The Federal Government is proposing to increase superannuation payments from nine per cent to 12 per cent by 2019-20. How much have you heard about this proposal?

    Total Vote Labor Vote Lib/Nat Vote Greens
    A lot 4% 4% 4% 2%
    Something 13% 15% 13% 17%
    A little 27% 25% 32% 28%
    Nothing 53% 54% 50% 53%
    Don’t know 3% 2% 1%

    There was low awareness of the Government’s proposal to increase superannuation payments from nine per cent to 12 per cent by 2019-20 – only 17% say they have heard a lot or something about it.

    22% of full-time workers and 16% of part-time workers have heard a lot/something about it.

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  • May, 2011

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    Support for Superannuation Plan

    Q. Based on what you know, do you support or oppose the proposal to increase superannuation payments from nine per cent to 12 per cent by 2019-20?

    Total Vote Labor Vote Lib/Nat Vote Greens
    Total support 69% 77% 67% 78%
    Total oppose 13% 8% 20% 4%
    Strongly support 21% 27% 17% 30%
    Support 48% 50% 50% 48%
    Oppose 10% 7% 15% 4%
    Strongly oppose 3% 1% 5%
    Don’t know 18% 14% 13% 18%

    69% support the proposal to increase superannuation payments from nine per cent to 12 per cent by 2019-20 and 13% oppose.

    75% of full-time workers and 69% of part-time workers support the proposal.

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  • May, 2011

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    Federal politics – voting intention

    Q. If a Federal Election was held today to which party will you probably give your first preference vote? If not sure, which party are you currently leaning toward?

    Q. If don’t know -Well which party are you currently leaning to?

    sample size =1,871

    First preference/leaning to Election

    21 Aug 10

    4 weeks ago 2 weeks ago Last week This week
    Liberal 43% 44% 44% 43%
    National 3% 3% 3% 3%
    Total Lib/Nat 43.6 47% 47% 47% 46%
    Labor 38.0 35% 35% 35% 36%
    Greens 11.8 11% 9% 10% 11%
    Other/Independent 6.6 8% 9% 8% 7%
    2PP Election

    21 Aug 10

    4 weeks ago 2 weeks ago Last week This week
    Total Lib/Nat 49.9% 54% 54% 54% 52%
    Labor 50.1% 46% 46% 46% 48%

    NB.  The data in the above tables comprise 2-week averages derived the first preference/leaning to voting questions.  Respondents who select ‘don’t know’ are not included in the results.  The two-party preferred estimate is calculated by distributing the votes of the other parties according to their preferences at the 2010 election.

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  • May, 2011

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    Economy Heading in the Right/Wrong Direction

    Q. Overall, from what you have read and heard, do you think the Australian economy is heading in the right direction or the wrong direction?

    Post budget 2010 Pre budget 2011 Post budget 2011 Vote Labor Vote Liberal/ National Vote Greens
    The right direction 51% 45% 46% 74% 30% 46%
    The wrong direction 25% 29% 29% 9% 49% 24%
    Don’t know 24% 25% 25% 17% 21% 30%

    Nearly half (46%) the respondents think that Australia’s economy is heading in the right direction – 29% think it is heading in the wrong direction.

    This was a little less positive than the post 2010 budget poll, but unchanged from the poll taken before the 2011 budget – which suggests that the budget has had no impact on overall perceptions of the economy.

    74% of Labor voters, 30% of Liberal/National voters and 46% of Greens voters think the economy is heading in the right direction.

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  • May, 2011

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    Party Best at Handling Economy

    Q. Which party do you think would be best at handling the Australian economy in the interests of you and people like you?

    Post budget 2010 Post budget 2011 Vote Labor Vote Liberal/ National Vote Greens
    Labor Party 33% 30% 75% 3% 36%
    Liberal Party 36% 40% 4% 84% 11%
    No difference 20% 22% 17% 10% 46%
    Don’t know 11% 9% 4% 3% 7%

    30% think Labor the party best to handle the economy (in the interests of you and people like you) and 40% nominated the Liberal Party. This represents a shift of 7% in favour of the Liberal Party since the 2010 budget.

    75% of Labor voters nominated Labor and 84% of Coalition voters nominated the Liberal Party. 46% of Greens voters said there was no difference – 36% said Labor and 11% Liberal.

    Those with incomes under $600 pw favour Labor 32% to 30% while those on $1,600+ pw favour the Liberals 49% to 29%.

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