bushfires, climate change, Natural Disasters
Q. Thinking about the bushfires in Queensland and New South Wales, which of the following statements is closest to your view?
| Nov’19 | Oct’13 | |
| It is likely that the bushfires are linked to climate change and it is appropriate to publicly raise this issue | 43% | 27% |
| It is likely that the bushfires are linked to climate change but it is inappropriate to publicly raise this issue at this this time | 17% | 14% |
| It is unlikely the bushfires are linked to climate change | 30% | 48% |
| Don’t know | 11% | 11% |
| Base (n) | 1,083 | 1,075 |
| Total | Gender | Age | Voting Intention | |||||||
| Male | Female | 18-34 | 35-54 | 55+ | Labor | Coalition | Greens | NET: Other | ||
| It is likely that the bushfires are linked to climate change and it is appropriate to publicly raise this issue | 43% | 39% | 46% | 54% | 41% | 35% | 53% | 31% | 73% | 30% |
| It is likely that the bushfires are linked to climate change but it is inappropriate to publicly raise this issue at this this time | 17% | 22% | 12% | 22% | 17% | 13% | 19% | 20% | 7% | 13% |
| It is unlikely the bushfires are linked to climate change | 30% | 29% | 30% | 15% | 29% | 43% | 19% | 40% | 6% | 50% |
| Don’t know | 11% | 9% | 12% | 9% | 13% | 9% | 9% | 9% | 13% | 7% |
| Base (n) | 1,083 | 527 | 556 | 329 | 369 | 385 | 342 | 373 | 93 | 162 |
24 September 2012, 240912, economy, job cuts, Natural Disasters, public sector workers, Retail, state budgets, unemployment, welfare
Q. There have recently been a significant number of public service jobs cut in various states around the country.
How do you think each of the following will fare as are result of public sector job cuts?
|
Get better |
Get worse |
Stay much the same |
Don’t know |
|
| The rate of unemployment |
4% |
61% |
25% |
10% |
| Delivery of public services |
5% |
54% |
29% |
11% |
| The welfare of disadvantaged Australians |
5% |
53% |
30% |
12% |
| Retail and spending |
4% |
50% |
35% |
11% |
| The welfare of all Australians |
6% |
49% |
34% |
11% |
| State budgets |
18% |
42% |
27% |
13% |
| The economy in general |
11% |
41% |
37% |
11% |
| Governments’ ability to respond to natural disasters |
7% |
32% |
45% |
16% |
The majority of respondents believe that the following things will get worse as a result of public sector cuts: the rate of unemployment (61%), delivery of public services (54%) and the welfare of disadvantaged Australians (53%).
The larger portion of respondents also think that retail and spending will get worse (50%), as well as the welfare of all Australians (49%), state budgets (42%) and the economy in general (41%).
A larger portion of respondents believe that the governments’’ ability to respond to natural disasters will stay much the same (45%) than those that believe it will get worse (32%).
climate change, cyclone, EMC, ER, Essential Media, Essential Report, flooding, Greens, Labor, Liberal, Natural Disasters, Polling, polls, recent floods
Q. Does the extreme nature of the recent floods and cyclone make it more or less important for Australia to take action to address climate change or does it make no difference?
| Total | Vote Labor | Vote Lib/Nat | Vote Greens | |
| Total more important | 49% | 60% | 35% | 83% |
| Total no difference/less important | 47% | 38% | 63% | 14% |
| Much more important | 27% | 35% | 16% | 59% |
| A little more important | 22% | 25% | 19% | 24% |
| Makes no difference | 44% | 37% | 57% | 12% |
| A little less important | 1% | * | 1% | 2% |
| Much less important | 3% | * | 6% | – |
| Don’t know | 4% | 2% | 2% | 4% |
49% believe that the extreme nature of the recent floods and cyclone make it more important for Australia to take action to address climate change and 47% think it makes no difference or is less important.
Opinions tend to be related to voting intention – 60% of Labor voters and 83% of Greens voters believe it is more important, while 63% of Liberal/National voters think it makes no difference or is less important. 55% of respondents aged under 35 think it is more important compared to 39% of those aged 65+