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  • Feb, 2012

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    Opinion of Gonski Report Recommendations

    Q. The Gonski report on funding education has recommended a new model for school funding that would mean all students are entitled to a set level of funding regardless of where they go to school, disadvantaged schools receive more funding and taxpayer funding for private schools is adjusted down based on parents’ capacity to pay.

    Do you support or oppose these recommendations?

     

    Total

    Vote Labor

    Vote Lib/Nat

    Vote Greens

    Total support

    68%

    79%

    64%

    76%

    Total oppose

    13%

    7%

    17%

    14%

    Strongly support

    25%

    37%

    17%

    35%

    Support

    43%

    42%

    47%

    41%

    Oppose

    9%

    5%

    12%

    9%

    Strongly oppose

    4%

    2%

    5%

    5%

    Don’t know

    19%

    14%

    19%

    10

    68% say they support the recommendations of the Gonski report on funding education and 13% were opposed.
    Strongest support was shown by Labor voters (79%), Greens voters (76%) and people aged 55+ (75%).

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  • Jan, 2012

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    Most Important Roles of Government

    Q. From the following list, what do you think are the three most important roles of the Federal Government? (Number from 1 to 3 where 1 is the most important, 2 the second most important, etc)

    Most important Second Third Total
    Delivering basic services like health and education 18% 27% 20% 65%
    Managing the economy in uncertain economic times 20% 15% 14% 49%
    Making the big decisions for the nations future 20% 12% 12% 44%
    Ensuring that all Australians benefit from Australia’s wealth 13% 10% 11% 34%
    Supporting Australian industries to provide jobs 8% 12% 12% 32%
    Reducing government spending so money can be returned back to taxpayers 9% 8% 8% 25%
    Investing in infrastructure including road rail and broadband 3% 7% 10% 20%
    Providing support to the most disadvantaged 4% 4% 8% 16%
    Don’t know 5% 5% 5% 5%

    Respondents considered that the most important roles of the Federal Government were delivering basic services like health and hospitals (65%), managing the economy in uncertain economic times (49%) and making the big decisions for the nations future (44%).

    The least important roles were providing support for the most disadvantaged (16%), investing in infrastructure including road rail and broadband (20%) and reducing government spending so money can be returned to taxpayers (25%).

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  • Jan, 2012

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    Party best to handle Issues

    Q. Which party do you think is best to handle each of the following issues?

    Labor Liberal Greens Don’t know
    Making the big decisions for the nations future 28% 41% 5% 26%
    Managing the economy in uncertain economic times 30% 44% 2% 24%
    Delivering basic services like health and education 34% 36% 5% 25%
    Investing in infrastructure including road rail and broadband 34% 36% 2% 28%
    Supporting Australian industries to provide jobs 33% 39% 3% 25%
    Reducing government spending so money can be returned back to taxpayers 21% 46% 3% 29%
    Ensuring that all Australians benefit from Australia’s wealth 31% 34% 6% 29%
    Providing support to the most disadvantaged 34% 27% 9% 29%

    The Liberal Party was considered substantially better than Labor at making the big decisions for the nations future (41% to 28%), managing the economy in uncertain economic times (44%/30% ) and reducing Government spending so money can be retuned back to taxpayers (46%/21%).

    They were also considered a little better at supporting Australian industries to provide jobs (39%/33%). The Labor Party was considered a little better at providing support to the most disadvantaged (34%/27%) and the two parties scored similarly on delivering basic services like health and education, investing in infrastructure including road rail and broadband and ensuring that all Australians benefit from Australia’s wealth.

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  • Feb, 2011

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    Flood Response

    Q. The Federal Government has announced a one-off levy on tax-payers and cuts in spending to fund the damage from the recent floods across Australia. Do you agree or disagree with each of the following actions they have taken?

    Total agree Total disagree Strongly agree Agree Disagree Strongly disagree Don’t know
    A levy on taxpayers earning over $50,000 44% 50% 14% 30% 23% 27% 7%
    Scrapped cash for clunkers (Grants for owners of old cars to buy new cars) 59% 29% 24% 35% 18% 11% 11%
    Scrapped the Green Car innovation fund 43% 39% 16% 27% 25% 14% 17%
    Deferred grants for development of carbon capture and storage technology 45% 40% 17% 28% 26% 14% 16%
    Deferred or capped grants for solar energy programs 32% 56% 10% 22% 33% 23% 12%
    Scrapped Higher Education Capital Development Pool (for building new tertiary education centres) 31% 51% 9% 22% 33% 18% 17%

    Respondents were more likely to agree with the Government decisions to scrap cash for clunkers (59% agree/29% disagree), scrap the Green Car innovation fund (43%/39%) and defer grants for development of carbon capture and storage technology (45%/40%).

    However, they tended to disagree with the levy on taxpayers earning over $50,000 (50% disagree/44% agree), defer or cap grants for solar energy programs (56%/32%) and scrap Higher Education Capital Development Pool (51%/31%).

    70% of Labor voters agreed with the levy and 26% disagreed while Coalition supporters disagreed 69% to 24% agreed. Older respondents were more likely to agree with the levy – 50% of those aged 45+ agreed and 43% disagreed. For those aged under 45, 38% agreed and 53% disagreed.

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