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Jobs reform

3 Oct 2011

Q. To what extent do you agree that the following measures will improve job creation and investment in Australia?

Total Agree Total Disagree Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly disagree Don’t know
Increasing the number of apprenticeships 88% 4% 38% 50% 4% 0% 7%
Giving incentives to companies that invest in research and development 79% 8% 26% 53% 7% 1% 12%
Boosting investment in renewable energy technologies 75% 11% 30% 45% 8% 3% 14%
Requiring companies to use Australian made steel in large infrastructure projects 73% 11% 27% 46% 9% 2% 15%
Implementing industrial relations changes that give more flexibility to business 57% 19% 13% 44% 14% 5% 24%
Bringing back tariffs on products imported from overseas 52% 29% 16% 36% 20% 9% 19%
Introducing industrial relations reforms to make it easier to hire and fire people 41% 41% 13% 28% 29% 12% 18%

Increasing the number of apprenticeships (88% total agree) is the most popular measure for improving job creation and investment in Australia, followed by giving incentives to companies that invest in research and development (79% total agree) and boosting investment in renewable energy technologies (75%).

Requiring companies to use Australian made steel in large infrastructure projects is also strongly endorsed by respondents (73% total agree).

The least popular measure is introducing industrial relations reforms to make it easier to hire and fire people (41% total disagree).   Asked with a different emphasis, there is significantly less opposition to the suggestion of implementing industrial relations changes that give more flexibility to business (19% total disagree).

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