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  • Mar, 2012

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    Election of Party Leaders

    Q. Do you think party leaders should be elected mainly based on who voters favour or who the members of Parliament believe is the best person to lead their party?

     

    Total

    Vote Labor

    Vote Lib/Nat

    Vote Greens

    The person the voters favour

    56%

    52%

    62%

    40%

    The person members of Parliament believe best to lead the party

    30%

    35%

    28%

    49%

    Don’t know

    14%

    12%

    11%

    11%

    A majority of 56% think that party leaders should be elected mainly based on who voters favour and 30% think that the leadership should go to the person the members of Parliament believe is to lead their party.

    Liberal/National voters are more likely to think the leader should be the person the voters favour (62%) while Greens voters tended to favour the person members of Parliament believe best (49%).

    Older voters (aged 55+) were a little more likely to leave the judgment to the Parliamentarians although still prefer the person the voters favour 53% to 39%.

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  • Mar, 2012

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    Preferred System for Electing Party Leaders

    Q. Which of the following do you think would be the best way to elect national party leaders?

     

    Total

    Vote Labor

    Vote Lib/Nat

    Vote Greens

    The Australian system where the leader is elected by the Members of Parliament

    36%

    45%

    36%

    45%

    The US system where registered voters in primaries elect the party’s candidate for President

    31%

    25%

    36%

    23%

    The UK system where MPs, party members (and in Labour’s case, union members from affiliated unions) all get to vote for the party leader

    11%

    10%

    8%

    15%

    Don’t know

    23%

    19%

    19%

    17%

    36% prefer the Australian system of electing the party leader – 31% prefer the US system and 11% the UK system.

    Labor and Greens voters were more likely to prefer the Australian system (45%) and Liberal/National voters the US system (36%).

    45% of people aged 55+ and 45% of those on income of $1,600+ pw favoured the Australian system.

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  • Feb, 2012

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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 = 1,908 respondents

    First preference/leaning to

    Election

    21 Aug 10

    4 weeks ago

    2 weeks ago

    Last week

     

    This week

    Liberal

    44%

    44%

    45%

    46%

    National

    3%

    3%

    3%

    3%

    Total Lib/Nat

    43.6%

    47%

    47%

    48%

    49%

    Labor

    38.0%

    34%

    34%

    33%

    32%

    Greens

    11.8%

    10%

    10%

    11%

    11%

    Other/Independent

    6.6%

    8%

    9%

    9%

    8%

     

    2PP

    Election

    21 Aug 10

    4 weeks ago

    2 weeks ago

    Last week

    This week

    Total Lib/Nat

    49.9%

    54%

    54%

    55%

    56%

    Labor

    50.1%

    46%

    46%

    45%

    44%

    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.

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  • Feb, 2012

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    Labor Leadership issue

    Q. Who do you think is mainly responsible for the leadership problems of the Labor Party?

     

    Total

    Vote Labor

    Vote Lib/Nat

    Vote Greens

    Kevin Rudd

    18%

    27%

    16%

    21%

    Julia Gillard

    39%

    28%

    55%

    16%

    Other people in the Labor Party

    23%

    23%

    21%

    25%

    The media

    10%

    16%

    4%

    25%

    Don’t know

    10%

    7%

    4%

    12%

    39% of respondents think that Julia Gillard is mainly responsible for the leadership problems of the Labor Party, 23% think other people in the Labor Party are responsible and 18% think Kevin Rudd is responsible. Only 10% think the media are mainly responsible.

    A majority (55%) of Liberal/National voters think Julia Gillard is mainly responsible while Labor and Greens voters are fairly evenly divided between Julia Gillard, Kevin Rudd and other people in the Labor Party. 25% of Greens voters think that the media are responsible.

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  • Feb, 2012

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    Opinion of Qantas

    Q. Compared to 12 months ago, how do you feel about Qantas – more positive, more negative or about the same?

     

    Total

    Vote Labor

    Vote Lib/Nat

    Vote Greens

    Fly regularly

    Fly once or twice a year

    Fly less often

    Total more positive

    11%

    14%

    13%

    6%

    27%

    11%

    5%

    Total more negative

    41%

    47%

    33%

    53%

    38%

    42%

    41%

    A lot more positive

    4%

    6%

    4%

    2%

    14%

    3%

    1%

    A little more positive

    7%

    8%

    9%

    4%

    13%

    8%

    4%

    About the same

    43%

    35%

    51%

    38%

    32%

    45%

    47%

    A little more negative

    23%

    25%

    19%

    28%

    19%

    24%

    23%

    A lot more negative

    18%

    22%

    14%

    25%

    19%

    18%

    18%

    No opinion

    5%

    2%

    3%

    3%

    3%

    3%

    7%

    41% say that, compared to 12 months ago, they feel more negative about Qantas – 11% feel more positive and 43% feel about the same.

    Regular flyers are somewhat more positive – 27% feel more positive and 38% more negative.

    There were no substantial differences across demographics.

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  • Feb, 2012

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    Reasons for Change in Opinion of Qantas

    Q. What is the main reason you feel more positive/negative about Qantas?

     

    More positive

    More negative

    Actions of management

    62%

    77%

    Actions of workers

    26%

    9%

    Other reason

    6%

    12%

    Not sure

    5%

    3%

    Among those who feel more positive about Qantas, 62% say it is because of the actions of management and 26% say it is because of the actions of workers.

    Among those who feel more negative about Qantas, 77% say it is because of the actions of management and only 9% say it is because of the actions of workers.

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  • Feb, 2012

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    Opinion of Gonski Report Recommendations

    Q. The Gonski report on funding education has recommended a new model for school funding that would mean all students are entitled to a set level of funding regardless of where they go to school, disadvantaged schools receive more funding and taxpayer funding for private schools is adjusted down based on parents’ capacity to pay.

    Do you support or oppose these recommendations?

     

    Total

    Vote Labor

    Vote Lib/Nat

    Vote Greens

    Total support

    68%

    79%

    64%

    76%

    Total oppose

    13%

    7%

    17%

    14%

    Strongly support

    25%

    37%

    17%

    35%

    Support

    43%

    42%

    47%

    41%

    Oppose

    9%

    5%

    12%

    9%

    Strongly oppose

    4%

    2%

    5%

    5%

    Don’t know

    19%

    14%

    19%

    10

    68% say they support the recommendations of the Gonski report on funding education and 13% were opposed.
    Strongest support was shown by Labor voters (79%), Greens voters (76%) and people aged 55+ (75%).

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  • Feb, 2012

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    Education Funding or Budget Surplus

    Q. The Gonski report also recommends a $5 billion increase in education funding with $1.5 billion of this additional funding coming from the Federal Government and the rest from the State Governments. If the Federal Government provides this additional funding it may mean they will not be able to return the budget to surplus next year.

    Do you think it is more important to provide this additional funding for schools or more important to return a budget surplus?

     

    Total

    Vote Labor

    Vote Lib/Nat

    Vote Greens

    More important to provide additional funding to schools

    61%

    63%

    58%

    83%

    More important to return a budget surplus

    24%

    25%

    29%

    11%

    Don’t know

    15%

    12%

    12%

    6%

    61% think it is more important to provide additional funding to schools and 24% say it is more important to return a budget surplus.

    Those who think it is more important to provide additional funding were women (65%), aged 45+ (67%), and Greens voters (83%).

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