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  • Jun, 2014

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    Opposition vote on specific budget issues

    Q. Do you think the Labor Opposition should vote for or against the following budget decisions?

    Vote for

    Vote against

    Don’t know

    A 2% deficit levy on earnings over $180,000

    73%

    13%

    14%

    Foreign aid frozen at current levels for two years, helping save $7.6 billion over five years

    65%

    22%

    12%

    University graduates to repay HELP debt once they earn $50,638 (reduced from $53,345)

    64%

    25%

    11%

    A six-month waiting period for those under-30 before they can access the dole (Newstart)

    47%

    41%

    12%

    Cut 16,500 full-time jobs from the public service in the next 3 years

    36%

    49%

    15%

    A $120M cut to the ABC’s budget

    32%

    47%

    21%

    $7 Medicare co-payment for all visits to the GP, with this money to be used to fund a Medical Research Future Fund.

    32%

    61%

    8%

    Cut public funding for university courses by 20%

    28%

    57%

    16%

    Eligibility for the age pension to rise to 70 by 2035

    27%

    62%

    10%

    Deregulation of university fees (meaning universities can set their own tuition fees)

    23%

    63%

    15%

    A majority think that Labor should vote for the 2% deficit levy (73%), freezing foreign aid (65%) and reducing the income level at which students repay debt (64%).

    A majority think that Labor should vote against deregulation of university fees (63%), raising the pension age (62%), the $7 Medicare copayment (61%) and cutting university funding (57%).

    They were more divided over the other issues, but tended to support the six-month waiting period for under 30’s to access the dole (47% for/41% against) and tended to oppose cutting the public service (36%/49%) and cutting funds to the ABC (32%/47%).

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