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  • Aug, 2012

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    Public Sector Issues

    Q. Do you agree or disagree with the following statements?

     

    Total agree

    Total disagree

    Strongly agree

    Agree

    Disagree

    Strongly disagree

    Don’t know

    The Commonwealth public sector cannot take 12,000 job cuts and still maintain service quality

    57%

    28%

    24%

    33%

    21%

    7%

    15%

    Regardless of what they say before elections, Liberal Governments always cut public services.

    52%

    22%

    20%

    32%

    19%

    3%

    26%

    Many of the Commonwealth public sector functions should be outsourced to private companies

    30%

    48%

    5%

    25%

    29%

    19%

    22%

    Many of the Commonwealth public sector functions should be outsourced to charities and not for profit organisations

    32%

    42%

    5%

    27%

    29%

    13%

    25%

    Cutting the public service will most hurt regional and rural areas

    57%

    22%

    22%

    35%

    17%

    5%

    21%

    Cutting support and admin staff will affect the quality of service provided by frontline staff

    60%

    24%

    24%

    36%

    20%

    4%

    15%

    A majority of respondents agreed that – cutting support and admin staff will affect the quality of service provided by frontline staff (60%), cutting the public service will most hurt regional and rural areas (57%), the Commonwealth public sector cannot take 12,000 job cuts and still maintain service quality (57%) and regardless of what they say before elections, Liberal Governments always cut public services (52%).

    They were more likely to oppose outsourcing public sector functions to private companies (48% disagree) or charities and not-for-profits (42%).

    Liberal/National voters were evenly split over whether cutting the public service will most hurt regional and rural areas (42% agree/38% disagree) and cutting support and admin staff will affect the quality of service provided by frontline staff (43% agree/43% disagree).

  • Apr, 2012

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    Type of Government

    Q. Which of the following statements is closest to your view?

     

    Total

    Vote Labor

    Vote Lib/Nat

    Vote Greens

    An active Government is necessary to provide important public services, and to protect ordinary Australians from unfair policies and practices on the part of large financial and/or industrial groups.

    67%

    82%

    59%

    82%

    We don’t need big government and extensive regulation of business and finance to take care of these matters:  the market itself can deal with many of these issues on their own.

    20%

    10%

    28%

    11%

    Don’t know

    13%

    8%

    13%

    8%

    67% agree more that an active Government is necessary and 20% agree more with the view that the market can deal with many issues.

    Strongest support for an active Government came from Labor and Greens voters (82%), women (70%) and aged under 25 (77%).

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