There is strong support for several of Labor’s major policies, despite its parlous polling situation, new polling finds.
More than half (53%) of voters back the government’s means test for the private health insurance rebate, according to Essential Research’s weekly online poll of 1000-plus voters, with a third (33%) of responders opposing it.
Support is strongest among Labor voters at 76%, while 51% of Liberal voters oppose the means test. Support is also strong among lower income groups: people earning $31,200 to $51,999 annually run at 63-23%, while the key beneficiaries of an unmeans-tested handout, those on incomes over $83,200, split almost equally at 45-46%.
Support for the National Broadband Network has also strengthened a little, with 56% of voters in favour and 25% opposed — a small shift since April last year and the highest level of support since immediately after the 2010 election. Labor and Greens voters are both strongly in favour of the project, while Liberal voters are nearly evenly split.
Support for the mining tax has also increased, up four points since November to 55%, while opposition has fallen five points to 28%. It appears the passage of the tax through the House of Representatives late last year has crystallised support; as late as September the tax only had 46-34% support.
But that’s where the good news ends for Labor: it has lost a point on its primary vote, falling to 33%, while the Coalition and the Greens have both picked one up to move to 48% and 11% respectively. While the changes are within the margin of error, the two-party preferred outcome shifts to 55-45%.
It appears that, whatever is wrong with Labor, it’s nothing to do with its policies: apart from the carbon pricing package, its key policies all garner strong support.
And it all means Bernard!!!!
It would not be hard to put the explanation for the ALP’s low poll
figures down to the constant journalist’s focus and hysteria about leadership
engendered by their lazy analysis and Murdoch drivers.
Whilst the above is a fair and relevant piece of reporting of the news
we are constantly confronted with the triviol assessment of politics to
the point of distraction by our mainstream media with a total focus
on what can be described as an attention to the conntrovercy rather
than the substance.
The above poll figures prove we are not all idiots and large section of
the community are interested in the substance.
I have a strong feeling of a media beat up fuelled by a sort of lynch mob mentality by an awfully biased newspaper media. Fuelled of course by any politician by peddling doom and gloom who is not a Gillard supporter. Its a feeding frenzy and dreadfully poor standard setting by the professional reporters who should know better.
I know I am not alone when i say that Gillard Government is not perfect by any means but the alternative makes me very very frightened indeed …Are we heading for another period of conservative corrupting and wealthy support (mining!) government that will take Australia back into the dark ages? It looks like it unless those who are like minded should say enough is enough…com’on Australians give this government a fair go and stop the negativity it is unAustralian.
Well said, Terry. Read Susan Mitchells book on Abbott. He is a scaly critter. And what’s up with his deputy, Bishop? Hasn’t she been deputy to three leaders of the opposition?