Australia, Essential Report, International relationships, Polling
Q. Would you like to see Australia’s relationship with these countries get closer, stay the same or become less close?
| Get closer | Stay the same | Become less close | Don’t know | Get closer
28 Mar |
Change | ||
| China | 35% | 48% | 9% | 8% | 32% | +3 | |
| New Zealand | 33% | 57% | 3% | 8% | 37% | -4 | |
| Japan | 24% | 59% | 7% | 9% | 26% | -2 | |
| India | 23% | 50% | 16% | 12% | 19% | +4 | |
| Indonesia | 23% | 48% | 20% | 10% | 21% | +2 | |
| Germany | 20% | 58% | 10% | 12% | 18% | +2 | |
| United Kingdom | 19% | 67% | 7% | 7% | 25% | -6 | |
| United States | 18% | 63% | 12% | 7% | 24% | -6 | |
| South Africa | 14% | 58% | 14% | 14% | 13% | +1 |
35% think that Australia’s relationship with China should get closer and 33% think our relationship with New Zealand should get closer.
Labor voters are most likely to favour closer relationships with China (41%) and New Zealand (37%).
Liberal/National voters are also most likely to favour closer relationships with China (34%) and New Zealand (29%).
Greens voters are most likely to favour closer relationships with New Zealand (47%), Indonesia (40%) and China (31%).
Since this question was asked in March, the percentage wanting a closer relationship with the United Kingdom and the United States has declined 6%.
Australia, Essential Report, Greens, Labor, Liberal, Nationals, Polling
Q. To which region do you think Australia’s future is most closely tied?
| Total | Vote Labor | Vote Lib/Nat | Vote Greens | |
| Europe | 7% | 6% | 7% | 5% |
| Asia | 74% | 81% | 76% | 82% |
| North America | 9% | 6% | 10% | 10% |
| Don’t know | 10% | 6% | 8% | 4% |
74% think Australia’s future is most closely tied to Asia – only 9% think it is tied to North America and 7% Europe.
Views are similar across major voter groups. However, younger respondents were a little less likely to agree – 68% of those aged under 35 think Australia’s future is most closely tied to Asia compared to 81% of those aged 55+.
Essential Report, Greens, Labor, Liberal, Nationals, Polling, voter interests
Q. Which political party do you think best represents the interests of –
| Labor | Liberal | Greens | Don’t know | Net (Labor-
Liberal |
Net
May 11 |
||
| Families with young children | 42% | 31% | 5% | 23% | +11 | +3 | |
| Students | 36% | 26% | 12% | 27% | +10 | +2 | |
| Working people on average incomes | 44% | 33% | 5% | 18% | +11 | +8 | |
| Working people on low incomes | 50% | 25% | 6% | 19% | +25 | +16 | |
| Working people on high incomes | 13% | 67% | 2% | 18% | -54 | -50 | |
| People on welfare | 46% | 20% | 9% | 26% | +26 | +15 | |
| Pensioners | 39% | 27% | 7% | 27% | +12 | +5 | |
| Small businesses and self-employed | 22% | 51% | 3% | 24% | -29 | -27 | |
| Big business | 11% | 68% | 1% | 19% | -57 | -49 | |
| The next generation of Australians | 21% | 32% | 17% | 30% | -11 | -12 | |
| Indigenous people | 28% | 17% | 19% | 36% | +11 | +2 | |
| Ethnic communities | 27% | 19% | 15% | 39% | +8 | +1 | |
| Rural and regional Australians | 22% | 35% | 12% | 31% | -13 | -16 |
The Labor Party is considered the party which best represents the interests of families with young children, students, working people on low and average incomes, people on welfare and pensioners. The Liberal Party is considered substantially better at representing the interests of people on high incomes, big business and small business and self-employed. The Greens’ main strengths are in representing the next generation, indigenous people and ethnic communities.
Since this question was last asked in May, the Labor Party has considerably improved its position on representing the interests of families with young children, students, people on low incomes and people on welfare. The perception that the Liberal Party best represents the interest of big business has increased.
Essential Report, Government regulation, Polling, Private run services, privatisation
Q. Thinking about the privatisation of Government-owned organisations (such as Telstra, Commonwealth Bank, Qantas, power companies, etc) over recent years – who do you think has benefited most from those privatisations?
| Total | Vote Labor | Vote Lib/Nat | Vote Greens | |
| The Government | 25% | 18% | 30% | 18% |
| Private companies | 59% | 70% | 54% | 68% |
| The general public | 6% | 6% | 8% | 1% |
| Don’t know | 10% | 6% | 8% | 13% |
59% think that private companies have benefited most from the privatisation of Government-owned organisations and 25% think the Government has benefited most. Only 6% think the general public has benefited most. Labor and Greens voters are more likely to think private companies have benefited most while Coalition voters are a little more likely to think Government has benefited most.
Essential Report, Government regulation, Polling, Private run services, privatisation
Q. Do you think that organisations (such as Telstra, Commonwealth Bank, Qantas, power companies, etc) that are privatized should be regulated by the Government or should they be treated the same as any other private company?
| Total | Vote Labor | Vote Lib/Nat | Vote Greens | |
| Should be regulated | 56% | 72% | 46% | 63% |
| Should be treated the same as any other private company | 34% | 23% | 47% | 25% |
| Don’t know | 10% | 5% | 6% | 12% |
56% think that organisations that are privatized should be regulated by the Government and 34% think they should be treated the same as any other private company. Labor and Greens voters are strongly of the view they should be regulated while Coalition voters are split 46% regulated/47% treated the same. There were no major differences across demographic groups.
2PP, Essential Report, Greens, Labor, Liberal, Nationals, Polling, two party preferred, 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 = 1,906 respondents
| First preference/leaning to | Election
21 Aug 10 |
4 weeks ago | 2 weeks ago | Last week | This week |
| Liberal | 45% | 45% | 44% | 43% | |
| National | 3% | 3% | 3% | 3% | |
| Total Lib/Nat | 43.6% | 48% | 48% | 47% | 46% |
| Labor | 38.0% | 33% | 32% | 34% | 35% |
| Greens | 11.8% | 10% | 11% | 10% | 9% |
| Other/Independent | 6.6% | 9% | 8% | 9% | 9% |
| 2PP | Election
21 Aug 10 |
4 weeks ago | 2 weeks ago | Last week | This week |
| Total Lib/Nat | 49.9% | 55% | 55% | 55% | 54% |
| Labor | 50.1% | 45% | 45% | 45% | 46% |
NB. The data in the above tables comprise 2-week averages derived from 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.
Essential Report, Polling, Qantas, Qantas Dispute
Q. Do you approve or disapprove of Qantas’ decision to ground all planes last weekend?
| Total | Vote Labor | Vote Lib/Nat | Vote Greens | Regular air travellers | |
| Total approve | 35% | 23% | 53% | 24% | 47% |
| Total disapprove | 53% | 66% | 38% | 63% | 47% |
| Strongly approve | 13% | 8% | 21% | 8% | 20% |
| Approve | 22% | 15% | 32% | 16% | 27% |
| Disapprove | 24% | 26% | 20% | 26% | 17% |
| Strongly disapprove | 29% | 40% | 18% | 37% | 30% |
| Don’t know | 12% | 12% | 8% | 13% | 6% |
35% approved of Qantas’ decision to ground all planes and 53% disapproved.
Regular air travellers (those who travel by air at least every few months) were split – 47% approved and 47% disapproved.
Those most likely to disapprove were Labor voters (66%), Greens voters (63%), women (57%) and those on low income (60% of those earning less than $600 pw).
Essential Report, Polling, Qantas, Qantas management, Qantas workers
Q. Who do you think was most to blame for the grounding of all Qantas planes last weekend – Qantas management or the workers?
| Total | Vote Labor | Vote Lib/Nat | Vote Greens | Regular air travellers | |
| Qantas management | 41% | 55% | 25% | 63% | 42% |
| Qantas workers | 20% | 11% | 35% | 8% | 27% |
| Both equally | 31% | 28% | 35% | 23% | 26% |
| Don’t know | 8% | 7% | 5% | 6% | 4% |
41% think Qantas management were most to blame for the grounding, 20% blamed the Qantas workers and 31% think both were equally to blame.
42% of regular air travellers blamed Qantas management and 27% blamed Qantas workers. Apart from Liberal/National voters, all groups were more likely to blame management over workers.