The government’s handling of the Peter Slipper affair hasn’t increased voters’ desire for an early election, according to new polling from Essential Research.
Some 48% of voters — up two points since March — believe the government should run its full term, compared to 42% — down two — who want an election now. As always, the result strongly reflects voting intention, with three-quarters of Liberal voters wanting an election.
Labor has also maintained its primary vote at 31% but the Coalition has lifted its vote a point to 50%, taking the two-party preferred result to 57-43. The Greens’ primary vote remains unchanged on 11%, suggesting there has yet been no fallout from Bob Brown’s decision to step down.
The government’s aged-care reform package, which was released a day before the Slipper story broke, gets very strong backing from voters, 61-7%, but few voters know much about it even if they back it — 62% say they know little or nothing about the reforms. That may be because, unusually, Labor actually leads the Coalition on the party most trusted to provide aged-care services, 31-27%.
Essential also asked voters about their reaction to Joe Hockey’s statements about an “age of entitlement”. Thirty nine per cent agreed that Australians receive too much assistance from government, while 33% disagreed; the result was also strongly partisan, with Liberal voters strongly agreeing there was too much assistance, and Labor and Greens voters disagreeing.
Voters were also asked about government regulation and what should be the most important factor in determining levels of regulation. Out of a range of areas including alcohol, tobacco, seat belts, bicycle helmets and recreational drugs, Essential found that the internet was the only area where there wasn’t outright majority support for regulation, with only 49% saying they support internet regulation and 43% disagreeing.
Shopping hours was the next lowest in support levels at 56%, then personal use of recreational drugs on 59%. Sixty two per cent of voters said they thought protecting rights and freedom should be the most important factor governments should consider when regulating the internet, with only 18% saying people’s health and safety should be most important.
and today we have the herald sun reporting 52% of “voters” want an early election. who to believe, who to believe…..
also interesting to note greens support increasing (?), up to 17% in vic, looks like news ltd. needs to try harder….
Sometimes human nature gets beyond me. Why would less than 100% of coalition-of-the-right voters not want an immediate election? Why would any coalition-of-the left voter want an early election?
I saw the vox pops (aka vox pox) on ABCbreafast24 this morning – I got the distinct impression that some of the responses were from people that didn’t understand the question.
We all know that the government-of-the-left will lose the next election, so why do the pontificators continue to think they can present a new view of the inevitable?
We have known for some time now that the press will trumpet “failure” for every action or inaction by the P.M. So what is the point in them writing it and her reading it?
Here is my conspiracy theory. The media actually wants the P.M.to fully implement her legislative and administrative agenda. By ensuring through its efforts that the P.M. cannot possibly win the next election irrespective what she does, they have put her in an unstoppable position, vis, nothing to lose!
Keane’s headline in another one of his diatribes: “Labor’s off message and out of soft power”.
The headline should have read: “Keane and his media mates are off message and are abusing their soft power”.
rinaldo hernando – “also interesting to note greens support increasing (?), up to 17% in vic, looks like news ltd. needs to try harder….”
Maybe it’s actually helping the Greens by being seen as a badge of honour by Greens supporters 🙂