Andrew Robb, Approval of opposition leader, Essential Report, Federal Government, federal politics, Greens, Joe Hockey, Julie Bishop, Labor, leadership, Liberal, malcolm turnbull, Nationals, Polling, polls, tony abbott, Voting intention
Q. Which of the following do you think would make the best leader of the Liberal Party?
| 27 Sep 2010 | 28 Feb 2011 | 30 May 2011 | ||||
| Total | Total | Total | Vote Labor | Vote Lib/Nat | Vote Greens | |
| Tony Abbott | 26% | 24% | 22% | 10% | 40% | 7% |
| Malcolm Turnbull | 20% | 18% | 25% | 35% | 19% | 33% |
| Joe Hockey | 15% | 16% | 17% | 13% | 22% | 18% |
| Julie Bishop | 5% | 4% | 3% | 4% | 2% | 1% |
| Andrew Robb | na | 1% | 1% | 1% | 1% | 1% |
| Someone else | na | 14% | 13% | 17% | 7% | 16% |
| Don’t know | 33% | 22% | 19% | 20% | 8% | 22% |
25% (+7%) think Malcolm Turnbull would make the best leader of the Liberal Party, 22% (-3%) prefer Tony Abbott and 17% (+1%) Joe Hockey.
Among Liberal/National voters, 40% prefer Tony Abbott, 22% Joe Hockey and 19% Malcolm Turnbull.
Malcolm Turnbull is preferred by 25% of men and 24% of women, Tony Abbott by 24% of men and 19% of women.
climate change, earth’s climate, environment, Essential Report, federal politics, Greens, Labor, Liberal, Nationals, Polling, polls
Q. Do you agree that there is fairly conclusive evidence that climate change is happening and caused by human activity or do you believe that the evidence is still not in and we may just be witnessing a normal fluctuation in the earth’s climate which happens from time to time?
| Total | Vote Labor | Vote Lib/Nat | Vote Greens | Nov 09 | Dec 10 | ||
| Climate change is happening and is caused by human activity | 52% | 71% | 34% | 78% | 53% | 45% | |
| We are just witnessing a normal fluctuation in the earth’s climate | 36% | 20% | 54% | 14% | 34% | 36% | |
| Don’t know | 12% | 8% | 12% | 8% | 13% | 19% |
52% agree that climate change is happening and is caused by human activity and 36% believe that we may just be witnessing a normal fluctuation in the earth’s climate. This is a significant increase in the belief that climate change is happening and caused by human activity since December last year (and a return to the levels recorded in November 2009).
By age groups, those aged under 35 split 64%/24% and those aged 55+ split 47%/48%.
Carbon Pricing, Carbon Tax, environment, Essential Media, Essential Report, federal politics, Greens, Labor, Liberal, Nationals, Polling, polls, tax
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 | 23 May | 30 May | Vote Labor | Vote Lib/Nat | Vote Greens | |
| Total support | 35% | 38% | 34% | 39% | 41% | 38% | 62% | 17% | 62% |
| Total oppose | 48% | 49% | 51% | 49% | 44% | 48% | 22% | 73% | 23% |
| Strongly support | 9% | 12% | 12% | 13% | 14% | 14% | 26% | 4% | 29% |
| Support | 26% | 26% | 22% | 26% | 27% | 24% | 36% | 13% | 33% |
| Oppose | 19% | 17% | 19% | 15% | 15% | 19% | 13% | 23% | 17% |
| Strongly oppose | 29% | 32% | 32% | 34% | 29% | 29% | 9% | 50% | 6% |
| Don’t know | 18% | 13% | 15% | 12% | 15% | 15% | 16% | 11% | 14% |
38% support the Government’s proposed carbon pricing scheme and 48% oppose. Although a change from last week’s figures this is much the same as recorded in the April poll. It is supported by 62% of Labor and Greens voters but opposed by 73% of coalition voters.
By age, those aged under 35 split 44% support/35% oppose, and those aged 55+ split 33% support/58% oppose.
For those who believe that climate change is happening and is caused by human activity 60% support and 24% oppose. For those who believe that we may just be witnessing a normal fluctuation in the earth’s climate 13% support and 80% oppose
Carbon Tax, Election, Essential Media, Essential Report, federal politics, Greens, Labor, Liberal, Nationals, Polling, polls, tax
Q. Do you think the Government should call an early election over the carbon tax?
| 28 March | 31 May | Vote Labor | Vote Lib/Nat | Vote Greens | |
| Yes | 40% | 42% | 15% | 71% | 18% |
| No | 44% | 42% | 68% | 19% | 66% |
| Don’t know | 17% | 16% | 17% | 11% | 16% |
42% think the Government should call an early election over the carbon tax and 42% disagree. This is similar to the views recorded in the previous poll in March and is strongly associated with voting intention.
Essential Media, Essential Report, federal politics, Greens, Labor, Liberal, Nationals, Polling, polls, two party preferred, voting, 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 = 1,881
| First preference/leaning to | Election
21 Aug 10 |
4 weeks ago | 2 weeks ago | Last week | This week |
| Liberal | 43% | 44% | 43% | 44% | |
| National | 4% | 3% | 3% | 3% | |
| Total Lib/Nat | 43.6 | 47% | 47% | 46% | 46% |
| Labor | 38.0 | 35% | 35% | 36% | 34% |
| Greens | 11.8 | 10% | 10% | 11% | 12% |
| Other/Independent | 6.6 | 8% | 8% | 7% | 8% |
| 2PP | Election
21 Aug 10 |
4 weeks ago | 2 weeks ago | Last week | This week |
| Total Lib/Nat | 49.9% | 54% | 54% | 52% | 53% |
| Labor | 50.1% | 46% | 46% | 48% | 47% |
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.
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.
Carbon Pricing, carbon pricing scheme, Essential Media, Essential Report, Greens, Labor, Liberal, Nationals, Polling, polls
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)
EMC, Essential Media, Essential Report, federal politics, Greens, Labor, Liberal, Nationals, Polling, polls, superannuation
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.