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  • Jun, 2012

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    Importance of Craig Thomson Issue

    Q. In your opinion, how important is this issue concerning the behaviour of Craig Thomson?

     

    Total

    Vote Labor

    Vote Lib/Nat

    Vote Greens

    Very important

    30%

    17%

    49%

    7%

    Quite important

    36%

    38%

    33%

    43%

    Not very important

    18%

    25%

    10%

    30%

    Not at all important

    7%

    11%

    2%

    11%

    Don’t know

    10%

    9%

    6%

    9%

    30% think the Craig Thomson issue is very important and 36% quite important – only 25% think it is not very or not at all important.

    Those most likely to think it is very important were aged 55+ (40%), Liberal/National voters (49%) and full-time workers (34%).

    58% of those who had read/heard a lot about it thought it was very important.

    Only 17% of union members thought it was very important.

  • Jun, 2012

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    Media Coverage of Craig Thomson Issue

    Q. Do you think there has been too much or too little media coverage of the allegations concerning Craig Thomson or has media coverage been about right?

     

    Total

    Vote Labor

    Vote Lib/Nat

    Vote Greens

    Too much

    43%

    58%

    28%

    64%

    Too little

    8%

    6%

    12%

    5%

    About right

    35%

    23%

    49%

    21%

    Don’t know

    14%

    13%

    10%

    10%

    43% think there has been too much media coverage of the allegations concerning Craig Thomson, 8% too little and 35% think the coverage has been about right.

    Those most likely to think there has been too much coverage were women (46%), aged 55+ (52%), respondents on incomes under $600pw (53%) and union members (51%).

  • Jun, 2012

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    Handling of Craig Thomson Issue

    Q. How would you rate the way each of the following have handled this issue concerning Craig Thomson?

     

    Total good

    Total poor

    Very good

    Good

    Neither good nor poor

    Poor

    Very poor

    Don’t know

    Julia Gillard and the Labor Party

    15%

    49%

    5%

    10%

    20%

    18%

    31%

    16%

    Tony Abbott and the Liberal Party

    19%

    40%

    5%

    14%

    24%

    16%

    24%

    17%

    Craig Thomson

    6%

    56%

    1%

    5%

    21%

    19%

    37%

    16%

    The media

    20%

    37%

    3%

    17%

    29%

    16%

    21%

    14%

    Overall, respondents believed that all parties have handled the Craig Thomson issue poorly.

    37% thought the media has handled it poorly, 40% Tony Abbott and the Liberal Party, 49% Julia Gillard and the Labor Party and 56% Craig Thomson himself. Only 6% thought Craig Thomson’s handling of the issue was good.

    42% of Labor voters thought Julia Gillard and the Labor Party’s handling of the issue was good compared to 37% of Coalition voters who thought Tony Abbott and the Liberal Party’s handling was good.

    In terms of the media, 52% of Labor voters, 57% of Greens voters and 49% of those aged 55+ thought their handling was poor.

    For union members, 29% thought Julia Gillard and the Labor Party’s handling was good, 21% Tony Abbott and the Liberal Party, 14% Craig Thomson himself and 28% the media.

  • Jun, 2012

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    Economic Reforms

    Q. Thinking about the major economic reform in Australia since the 1980s like floating the dollar, removing tariffs and privatisation of Government services like Telstra and utilities, who do you think has benefited most – ordinary Australians through higher incomes and more growth and jobs, or corporations through higher profits and less regulation?

     

    Total

    Vote Labor

    Vote Lib/Nat

    Vote Greens

    Ordinary Australians

    5%

    8%

    4%

    6%

    Corporations

    54%

    51%

    55%

    62%

    Both equally

    20%

    19%

    25%

    16%

    Don’t know

    21%

    22%

    17%

    16%

    54% thought that corporations have benefited most from Australia’s major economic reforms – only 5% think ordinary Australians have benefited most and 20% thought both had benefited equally.

    Those most likely to think corporations had benefited most were Greens voters (62%), aged 55+ (60%) and those on incomes under $600pw (61%).

  • May, 2012

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    TRENDS: Bosses’ flexibility arguments a bit of a stretch


    Jackie Woods says the bosses’ enthusiasm for casual workers is self interest at work.

    Australia’s business lobby has donned its loose cotton pants and signed up for yoga. And like many fitness enthusiasts, they can’t stop talking about it. It’s flexibility, flexibility, flexibility.

    Profits down, or just not high enough? Penalty rates getting on your nerves? Productivity sluggish? For big business, workplace ‘flexibility’ is the cure-all.

    The employer-driven agenda to increase workplace flexibility has led to a rise in casual work arrangements in Australia, a sleeper issue catapulted into the headlines by the ACTU campaign on insecure work.

    This has led to some extraordinary claims from business about the social benefits of casual work that follow a few predictable lines of argument.

    Read more at the Drum

  • May, 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 = 1,884 respondents

    First preference/leaning to

    Election

    21 Aug 10

    4 weeks ago

    30/4/12

    2 weeks ago

    14/5/12

    Last week

    21/5/12

    This week

    28/5/12

    Liberal

    46%

    47%

    46%

    47%

    National

    3%

    3%

    3%

    3%

    Total Lib/Nat

    43.6%

    50%

    50%

    49%

    50%

    Labor

    38.0%

    31%

    30%

    33%

    33%

    Greens

    11.8%

    11%

    11%

    10%

    10%

    Other/Independent

    6.6%

    9%

    9%

    8%

    7

     

    2PP

    Election

    21 Aug 10

    4 weeks ago

    2 weeks ago

    Last week

    This week

    Total Lib/Nat

    49.9%

    57%

    57%

    56%

    57%

    Labor

    50.1%

    43%

    43%

    44%

    43%

    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. + or – 2%.

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  • May, 2012

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    Attributes of the Labor Party

    Q. Here is a list of things both favourable and unfavourable that have been said about various political parties. Which statements do you feel fit the Labor Party?

     

    6 Jul 09

    14 Mar 10

     

    27 April 11

     

    28 May 12

    % change

    Divided

    30%

    36%

    66%

    73%

    +7%

    Will promise to do anything to win votes

    57%

    63%

    72%

    70%

    -2%

    Out of touch with ordinary people

    44%

    48%

    61%

    58%

    -3%

    Moderate

    65%

    63%

    51%

    50%

    -1%

    Looks after the interests of working people

    39%

    47%

    +8%

    Understands the problems facing Australia

    62%

    54%

    40%

    46%

    +6%

    Have a vision for the future

    43%

    41%

    -2%

    Too close to the big corporate and financial interests

    46%

    36%

    -10%

    Extreme

    25%

    26%

    38%

    31%

    -7%

    Clear about what they stand for

    28%

    31%

    +3%

    Has a good team of leaders

    60%

    52%

    34%

    29%

    -5%

    Keeps its promises

    44%

    33%

    20%

    22%

    +2%

    The Labor Party’s main attributes were – divided (73%), will promise anything to win votes (70%), out of touch with ordinary people (58%) and moderate (50%).
    Main changes since last April were – too close to the big corporate and financial interests (down 10% to 36%), looks after the interests of working people (up 8% to 47%), divided (up 7% to 73%), extreme (down 7% to 31%) and understands the problems facing Australia (up 6% to 46%).

    Comments »

  • May, 2012

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    Attributes of the Liberal Party

    Q. And which statements do you feel fit the Liberal Party?

     

    6 July 09

    14 Mar 10

     

    27 April 11

    28 May 12

    % change

    Will promise to do anything to win votes

    67%

    72%

    65%

    63%

    -2%

    Too close to the big corporate and financial interests

    60%

    58%

    -2%

    Out of touch with ordinary people

    62%

    58%

    54%

    53%

    -1%

    Moderate

    50%

    50%

    55%

    52%

    -3%

    Understands the problems facing Australia

    44%

    43%

    51%

    52%

    +1%

    Have a vision for the future

    48%

    48%

    Clear about what they stand for

    44%

    46%

    +2%

    Looks after the interests of working people

    38%

    40%

    +2%

    Has a good team of leaders

    29%

    31%

    40%

    39%

    -1%

    Divided

    74%

    66%

    49%

    37%

    -12%

    Extreme

    36%

    38%

    36%

    34%

    -2%

    Keeps its promises

    28%

    23%

    33%

    34%

    +1%

    The Liberal Party’s main attributes were – will promise anything to win votes (63%), too close to the big corporate and financial interest (58%), out of touch with ordinary people (53%), moderate (52%) and understands the problems facing Australia (52%).

    The only substantial change since April last year was a drop in the figure for “divided” – down 12% to 37%.

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