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  • Feb, 2012

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    Australia – Fair and Just

    Q. Compared to other advanced industrial countries would you say Australia is fairer and more just, about average, or less fair and just?

    Total Vote Labor Vote Lib/Nat Vote Greens
    Total more fair and just 46% 53% 47% 40%
    A lot more fair and just 14% 18% 14% 7%
    A little more fair and just 32% 35% 33% 33%
    About average 38% 35% 39% 47%
    A little less fair and just 8% 7% 7% 8%
    A lot less fair and just 3% 2% 3% 3%
    Don’t know 5% 3% 3% 1%

    46% think that Australia is fairer and more just than other advanced industrial countries.

    Labor voters (53%) are more likely to think Australia is more fair and just than Liberal/National voters (47%) or Greens voters (40%).

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  • Feb, 2012

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    Australia – Fair and Just Compared

    Q. Would you say that Australia is more or less fair and just as a nation and society than the following countries?

    More fair and just About the same Less fair and just Don’t know
    China 66% 11% 11% 12%
    The United States 47% 33% 10% 10%
    Japan 41% 30% 12% 18%
    France 34% 34% 13% 19%
    The UK 26% 58% 7% 9%
    Canada 12% 61% 13% 14%
    New Zealand 12% 68% 11% 9%

    66% think Australia is a more fair and just society than China and 47% think Australia is more fair than the United States.

    More than half think Australia is about as fair and just as New Zealand (68%), Canada (61%) and the UK (58%).

    Views about the United States are similar across most demographic groups except for those on higher incomes – 51% of those on incomes over $1,600 pw think Australia is more fair and just than the United States.

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  • Jan, 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 = 1,899 respondents

    First preference/leaning to Election

    21 Aug 10

    2 weeks ago Last week

    This week
    Liberal 45% 45% 44%
    National 3% 3% 3%
    Total Lib/Nat 43.6% 48% 48% 47%
    Labor 38.0% 35% 35% 34%
    Greens 11.8% 9% 10% 10%
    Other/Independent 6.6% 8% 7% 8%
    2PP Election

    21 Aug 10

    2 weeks ago Last week This week
    Total Lib/Nat 49.9% 54% 54% 54%
    Labor 50.1% 46% 46% 46%

    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.

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  • Jan, 2012

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    Opinion of School Building Program

    Q. Overall, how would you rate the Federal Government’s BER program to fund new school buildings which was introduced during the GFC?

    Total Vote Labor Vote Lib/Nat Vote Greens Total with children at school Children at primary school Children at secondary school
    Total good 30% 49% 17% 39% 43% 49% 38%
    Total poor 31% 10% 50% 18% 27% 27% 26%
    Very good 7% 15% 3% 5% 11% 12% 11%
    Good 23% 34% 14% 34% 32% 37% 27%
    Neither good nor poor 15% 21% 22% 27% 21% 17% 24%
    Poor 15% 8% 20% 13% 12% 12% 11%
    Very poor 16% 2% 30% 5% 15% 15% 15%
    Don’t know 17% 19% 11% 16% 10% 6% 12%

    Respondents were divided over the Federal Government’s BER program to fund new school buildings – 30% thought it was good and 31% poor. Opinions were closely related to voting intention- 49% of Labor voters thought the program was good and 50% of Liberal/National voters thought it was poor.

    Households with children at primary or secondary schools were more positive – especially those with children at primary school.  43% of all those with school children in their household and 49% of those with primary students thought it was good.

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  • Jan, 2012

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    Benefit to Schools of Building program

    If children at school –

    Q. How much did the schools those children attend benefit from the Government’s school building program?

    Total Vote Labor Vote Lib/Nat Children at primary school Children at secondary school
    A lot 19% 25% 16% 26% 15%
    Moderately 30% 37% 31% 32% 29%
    A little 23% 15% 33% 24% 22%
    Not at all 12% 10% 11% 7% 17%
    Don’t know 15% 13% 9% 11% 17%

    Of the respondents with children at school, 49% thought their schools had benefited a lot of moderately, 23% thought they had benefited a little and 12% not at all. 58% of those with children at primary school thought their schools had benefited a lot/moderately compared to 44% of those with children at secondary schools.

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  • Jan, 2012

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    Australia’s Best Prime Minister

    Q. Choosing from the following list, who do you think has been Australia’s best Prime Minister?

    Term of office Total

    19 Jan 2009

    Total Vote Labor Vote Lib/Nat Vote Greens Aged 18-34 Aged 35-54 Aged 55+
    John Curtin 7 Oct 1941 – 5 Jul 1945 4% 2% 4% 1% 3% 1% 2% 3%
    Ben Chifley 13 Jul 1945 – 19 Dec 1949 2% 1% 2% 1% 1% 1% 1% 3%
    Robert Menzies 19 Dec 1949 – 26 Jan 1966 11% 11% 4% 18% 4% 4% 8% 21%
    Harold Holt 26 Jan 1966 – 19 Dec 1967 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1%
    John Gorton 10 Jan 1968 – 10 Mar1971 1%
    William McMahon 10 Mar 1971 – 5 Dec 1972 1%
    Gough Whitlam 5 Dec 1972 – 11 Nov 1975 9% 9% 15% 1% 18% 8% 9% 10%
    Malcolm Fraser 11 Nov 1975 – 11 Mar 1983 3% 3% 1% 3% 6% 3% 6%
    Bob Hawke 11 Mar 1983 – 20 Dec 1991 12% 15% 23% 5% 22% 12% 21% 10%
    Paul Keating 20 Dec 1991 – 11 Mar 1996 8% 6% 12% 2% 10% 7% 6% 4%
    John Howard 11 Mar 1996 – 3 Dec 2007 28% 33% 8% 61% 5% 33% 31% 35%
    Kevin Rudd 3 Dec 2007 – 24 Jun 2010 20% 15% 21% 6% 27% 25% 15% 6%
    Julia Gillard 24 Jun 2010 – present na 3% 8% 4% 6% 2% 2%

    Note: Percentages based on those who gave an answer.

    33% thought that John Howard has been Australia’s best Prime Minister, 15% chose Kevin Rudd and 15% Bob Hawke.

    Among Liberal/National voters, 61% chose John Howard and 18% Robert Menzies. With 23%, Bob Hawke received the highest rating from Labor voters, just ahead of Kevin Rudd on 21% with Gough Whitlam on 15%. Greens voters favoured Kevin Rudd (27%) and Bob Hawke (22%).

    While John Howard received similar scores across age groups, the 18-34 group were more likely to favour Kevin Rudd (25%), the 35-54’s Bob Hawke (21%) and the 55+ group Robert Menzies (21%). Compared to the results when this question was asked 3 years ago (when Kevin Rudd was Prime Minister), John Howard (+5%) and Bob Hawke (+3%) have improved their ratings while Kevin Rudd’s has dropped 5%.

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  • Jan, 2012

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    Mandatory Pre-commitment Trial

    Q. Do you approve or disapprove of the Government’s proposal to conduct a trial of mandatory pre-commitment for poker machines which will require gamblers to set limits on how much they can lose?

    Total Vote Labor Vote Lib/Nat Vote Greens
    Total approve 58% 69% 49% 82%
    Total disapprove 29% 20% 40% 12%
    Strongly approve 22% 28% 17% 33%
    Approve 36% 41% 32% 49%
    Disapprove 16% 12% 22% 9%
    Strongly disapprove 13% 8% 18% 3%
    Don’t know 13% 12% 11% 5%

    58% said they approved the Government’s proposal to conduct a trial of mandatory pre-commitment for poker machines and 29% disapproved.

    Labor voters (69%) and Greens voters (82%) showed high approval and Liberal/National voters were more likely to approve (49%) than disapprove (40%).

    These figures indicate a slightly lower approval of the trial than for the introduction of mandatory commitment – last week’s survey showed 62% support and 25% opposition to the mandatory commitment proposal.

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  • Jan, 2012

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    Next Election

    Q. Do you think the Labor Government should run its full term until 2013 when the next Federal election is due or should a new election be held now?

    5 Sept 11 5 Dec 11 Total Vote Labor Vote Lib/Nat Vote Greens
    Should run to 2013 40% 47% 48% 80% 19% 82%
    Should hold election now 48% 41% 41% 12% 73% 11%
    Don’t know 12% 12% 10% 8% 8% 7%

    48% think that the Labor Government should be allowed to run its full term through to 2013 and 41% think a new election should be held. This is very similar to the results of this question when last asked in early December. Views closely follow voting voting intentions.

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