Industrial Relations, perceptions, Trade Unions
Q. To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements about the role of unions in the workplace?
| TOTAL: Agree | TOTAL: Disagree | Strongly agree | Somewhat agree | Somewhat disagree | Strongly disagree | Unsure | |
| Unions provide essential services to their members to ensure they are paid appropriately and have safe working environments | 74% | 11% | 34% | 40% | 8% | 3% | 15% |
| A union gives workers more power with employers through a collective voice | 74% | 12% | 34% | 40% | 9% | 3% | 15% |
| Unions provide advice and services to which members would otherwise not have access | 70% | 13% | 30% | 40% | 10% | 3% | 17% |
| Unions are vital to stop businesses taking advantage of their employees | 67% | 16% | 34% | 33% | 12% | 5% | 16% |
| Unions that insist on minimum qualifications and training create a highly-skilled workforce | 64% | 15% | 27% | 38% | 11% | 4% | 20% |
| Unions are too politically biased | 62% | 19% | 30% | 31% | 12% | 7% | 19% |
| Union protection makes it difficult for employers to discipline, terminate or even promote employees | 58% | 24% | 25% | 33% | 18% | 6% | 18% |
| Unions add an unnecessary layer of bureaucracy for businesses | 49% | 33% | 21% | 28% | 22% | 11% | 18% |
| Unions are corrupt | 47% | 30% | 19% | 28% | 18% | 12% | 23% |
| Employment law and regulations mean unions are no longer needed | 41% | 40% | 16% | 26% | 25% | 15% | 19% |
Essential Media, Essential Report, Greens, household earnings, Labor, Liberal, Nationals, perceptions, Polling, polls, spending and income, tax, 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.