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  • Dec, 2012

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    Change in gas/electricity usage

    Q. And as far as you know, over the last few years, has your gas and/or electricity usage increased, decreased or stayed much the same?

    Total increased

    54%

    Total decreased

    16%

    Increased a lot

    24%

    Increased a moderate amount

    15%

    Increased a little

    15%

    Stayed about the same

    26%

    Decreased a little

    11%

    Decreased a moderate amount

    3%

    Decreased a lot

    2%

    Don’t know

    4%

    54% say their power usage has increased over the last few years, 16% say it has decreased and 26% think it has stayed much the same.

    Change in usage was similar across all ages except the 65+ group where 39% thought their usage had increased, 22% decreased and 38% stayed much the same.

    Among Greens voters, 42% said their usage had increased, 24% decreased and 30% stayed much the same. There were no substantial differences across income groups.

    56% of those with air conditioning or evaporative cooling said their power usage had increased compared with 45% of those without air conditioning or evaporative cooling.

  • Dec, 2012

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    Responsibility for gas/electricity prices

    Q. Who do you think is mainly responsible for electricity and gas prices?

     

    Total

    Vote Labor

    Vote Lib/Nat

    Vote Greens

    The Federal Government

    27%

    17%

    40%

    15%

    The State Government

    16%

    18%

    14%

    18%

    The power companies

    45%

    54%

    37%

    56%

    Don’t know

    13%

    11%

    9%

    11%

    45% believe that power companies are mainly responsible for electricity and gas prices, 27% think the Federal Government is mainly responsible and 16% State Governments.

    40% of Liberal/National voters think the Federal Government is mainly responsible. Answers were similar across the major states – NSW, Victoria, Queensland.

  • Dec, 2012

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    Operation of power generation and distribution

    Q. Which is closer to your view? 

     

    Total

    Vote Labor

    Vote Lib/Nat

    Vote Greens

    Power generation and distribution should be operated by private companies, because they are more efficient and competition will keep prices down

    24%

    20%

    31%

    9%

    Power generation and distribution should be operated by government, because it is not motivated by profit and will keep our energy supply secure

    56%

    66%

    52%

    68%

    Don’t know

    19%

    13%

    17%

    23%

    56% agree that power generation and distribution should be operated by government and 24% think they should be operated by private companies.

    Liberal/National voters (31%) were most likely to support operation by private companies while highest support for Government operation came from Labor voters (66%), Greens voters (68%) and respondents aged 45+ (63%).

  • Dec, 2012

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    Use of air conditioning

    Q. Do you have an air conditioner or evaporative cooling?

    Yes

    74%

    No

    26%

    74% of respondents said they had air conditioning or evaporative cooling.

    Those most likely to have air conditioning or evaporative cooling were respondents from Victoria (82%) and with incomes of $1,600+ pw (80%).

    Those least likely to have air conditioning or evaporative cooling were respondents from NSW (68%), Greens voters (65%) and incomes of less than $1,000 pw (65%).

  • Dec, 2012

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    Media regulation

    Q. Newspapers and magazines are regulated by the Australian Press Council which was established by the media industry and comprises representatives of media organisations and as well as independent members. It deals with complaints and decides what penalties should be given to journalists and media that break agreed codes of conduct.

    Do you think newspapers and magazines should continue to be regulated by the media industry’s Press Council or should the Federal Government appoint a new independent organisation to deal with complaints?

     

    Total

    Vote Labor

    Vote Lib/Nat

    Vote Greens

    Press Council should continue to deal with complaints

    44%

    40%

    54%

    38%

    Should be a new Government-appointed organisation to deal with complaints

    28%

    36%

    25%

    40%

    Don’t know

    28%

    25%

    21%

    22%

    44% think that newspapers and magazines should continue to be regulated by the media industry’s Press Council and 28% think the Federal Government should appoint a new independent organisation to deal with complaints.

    Highest support for a new Government-appointed organisation came from men (36%), Labor voters (36%) and Greens voters (40%).

  • Dec, 2012

    Essential Report with EMC’s Peter Lewis and Jackie Woods

    Lewis and Woods talk through this week’s polling numbers: voting intention, Julia Gillard and the AWU issue, Christmas spending, asylum seekers and more…


  • Dec, 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 = 1,799respondents

    First preference/leaning to

    Election

    21 Aug 10

    4 weeks ago

    7/11/12

    2 weeks ago

    19/11/12

    Last week

    26/11/12

    This week

    3/12/12

    Liberal

    43%

    43%

    44%

    44%

    National

    3%

    3%

    3%

    3%

    Total Lib/Nat

    43.6%

    46%

    46%

    47%

    47%

    Labor

    38.0%

    37%

    36%

    36%

    37%

    Greens

    11.8%

    9%

    10%

    10%

    9%

    Other/Independent

    6.6%

    8%

    9%

    8%

    7%

     

    2PP

    Election

    21 Aug 10

    4 weeks ago

    2 weeks ago

    Last week

    This week

    Total Lib/Nat

    49.9%

    53%

    53%

    53%

    53%

    Labor

    50.1%

    47%

    47%

    47%

    47%

    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. These estimates have a confidence interval of approx. plus or minus 2-3%.

  • Dec, 2012

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    Awareness of Julia Gillard and AWU issue

    Q. How much have you read or heard about the Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s involvement with the AWU when she was working as a lawyer 20 years ago?

     

    Total

    Vote Labor

    Vote Lib/Nat

    Vote Greens

    A lot

    31%

    37%

    35%

    12%

    Some

    29%

    30%

    33%

    30%

    A little

    25%

    23%

    22%

    35%

    Nothing

    12%

    7%

    8%

    22%

    Don’t know

    3%

    2%

    2%

    1%

    60% said they had read or heard a lot or some about the Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s involvement with the AWU when she was working as a lawyer 20 years ago, 25% said they had read/heard a little and 12% had read/heard nothing.

    Those most likely to have read/heard a lot/some were men (65%), aged 55+ (78%) and Liberal/National voters (67%).

    Those most likely to have read/heard a little/nothing were women (42%), aged 18-34 (53%) and Greens voters (57%).

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