Q. Please indicate whether – in general – you agree with the following statements about the Federal budget that was handed down on Tuesday 12th May.
| Total agree | Total dis-
agree
|
Strongly agree | Agree | Neither | Dis-
agree |
Strongly dis-
agree |
Don’t know | ||
| Overall, the budget is fair and balanced | 28% | 32% | 4% | 24% | 28% | 21% | 11% | 12% | |
| This budget does not do enough to reduce the deficit | 37% | 18% | 10% | 27% | 30% | 15% | 3% | 14% | |
| This was the budget Australia needs at this time | 28% | 31% | 4% | 24% | 28% | 19% | 12% | 14% | |
| This budget favours businesses over workers | 47% | 12% | 16% | 31% | 28% | 10% | 2% | 13% | |
| This budget fixes the problems in last year’s budget | 20% | 37% | 3% | 17% | 29% | 26% | 11% | 14% | |
| This budget is more about improving the Government’s popularity than improving the economy | 50% | 19% | 22% | 28% | 20% | 13% | 6% | 11% |
About half the respondents agree that the budget is “more about improving the Government’s popularity than improving the economy” (50%) and that the budget “favours businesses over workers” (47%). They were also more likely to think that the budget “does not do enough to reduce the deficit” (37% agree/18% disagree).
They were more likely to disagree that “this budget fixes the problems in last year’s budget” (20% agree/37% disagree) but split over whether the budget is “fair and balanced” or is “the budget Australia needs at this time”.