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  • Jul, 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 = 1,837 respondents

    First preference/leaning to

    Election

    21 Aug 10

    4 weeks ago

    2/7/12

    2 weeks ago

    16/7/12

    Last week

    23/7/12

    This week

    30/7/12

    Liberal

    45%

    46%

    45%

    45%

    National

    3%

    3%

    4%

    3%

    Total Lib/Nat

    43.6%

    49%

    49%

    49%

    49%

    Labor

    38.0%

    32%

    31%

    33%

    33%

    Greens

    11.8%

    10%

    10%

    10%

    10%

    Other/Independent

    6.6%

    9%

    9%

    9%

    8%

     

    2PP

    Election

    21 Aug 10

    4 weeks ago

    2 weeks ago

    Last week

    This week

    Total Lib/Nat

    49.9%

    56%

    57%

    56%

    55%

    Labor

    50.1%

    44%

    43%

    44%

    45%

    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. These estimates have a confidence interval of approx. + or – 2%.

  • Jul, 2012

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    Important election issues

    Q.  Which are the three most important issues in deciding how you would vote at a Federal election?

     

    First

    Second

    Third

    Total

    30 Jul 12

    5 Dec 11

    6 June 11

    25 Jan 10

    Management of the economy

    38%

    16%

    10%

    64%

    62%

    61%

    63%

    Ensuring a quality education for all children

    5%

    10%

    11%

    26%

    22%

    26%

    23%

    Ensuring the quality of Australia’s health system

    10%

    19%

    18%

    47%

    47%

    49%

    48%

    Protecting the environment

    3%

    4%

    4%

    11%

    13%

    15%

    16%

    A fair industrial relations system

    4%

    3%

    5%

    12%

    11%

    8%

    *

    Political leadership

    11%

    7%

    7%

    25%

    18%

    17%

    23%

    Addressing climate change

    3%

    3%

    3%

    9%

    10%

    15%

    16%

    Controlling interest rates

    2%

    2%

    5%

    9%

    11%

    13%

    15%

    Australian jobs and protection of local industries

    13%

    15%

    13%

    41%

    36%

    32%

    33%

    Ensuring a quality water supply

    *

    1%

    2%

    3%

    4%

    5%

    12%

    Housing affordability

    3%

    5%

    5%

    13%

    13%

    16%

    14%

    Ensuring a fair taxation system

    4%

    7%

    7%

    18%

    16%

    17%

    14%

    Security and the war on terrorism

    1%

    1%

    3%

    5%

    4%

    8%

    9%

    Treatment of asylum seekers

    3%

    4%

    3%

    10%

    8%

    5%

    *

    Managing population growth

    2%

    3%

    3%

    8%

    8%

    12%

    *

    *Not asked

    64% of people surveyed rated management of the economy as one of their three most important issues, followed by 47% ensuring the quality of Australia’s health system and 41% Australian jobs and protection of local industries.

    Since December, there has been an increase in the importance of political leadership (+7%), Australian jobs and protection of local industries (+5%) and ensuring a quality education for all children (+4%).

  • Jul, 2012

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    Workers’ Productivity

    Q. And overall, in your experience, how productive are most Australian workers?

     

    6 Feb 12

    Total

    30 Jul 12

    Vote Labor

    Vote Lib/Nat

    Vote Greens

    Full time workers

    Part time workers

    Very productive

    15%

    14%

    19%

    12%

    12%

    14%

    12%

    Quite productive

    59%

    59%

    61%

    61%

    62%

    61%

    63%

    Not so productive

    19%

    19%

    13%

    21%

    15%

    19%

    17%

    Not at all productive

    2%

    3%

    2%

    2%

    6%

    3%

    2%

    Don’t know

    5%

    5%

    5%

    4%

    5%

    3%

    6%

    73% think that overall, most Australian workers are very or quite productive. These responses are almost identical to those when this question was asked in February.

    Labor voters (80%) are more likely than Liberal/National voters (73%) to think workers are productive. There were no significant differences across income or age groups.

  • Jul, 2012

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    Increasing Productivity

    Q. Which of the following would be the most effective way to increase productivity in Australian workplaces?

     

    Total

    Vote Labor

    Vote Lib/Nat

    Vote Greens

    Full time workers

    Part time workers

    More flexibility for businesses in how they employ and manage workers

    21%

    18%

    28%

    12%

    23%

    12%

    More input from workers into how businesses are managed

    17%

    19%

    13%

    25%

    15%

    29%

    Invest more in skills and education

    35%

    40%

    29%

    42%

    35%

    30%

    Invest more in technology and innovation

    8%

    11%

    8%

    9%

    8%

    7%

    Stop Government assistance to industries so that they are forced to be productive or close

    10%

    5%

    15%

    8%

    11%

    12%

    Don’t know

    9%

    7%

    7%

    4%

    8%

    10%

    35% think investing more in skills and education is the most effective way to increase productivity, 21% favour more flexibility for businesses in how they employ and manage workers and 17% nominated more input from workers into how businesses are managed.

    40% of Labor voters and 42% of Greens voters favour investing in skills and education while 28% of Liberal/National voters favour more flexibility for businesses in how they employ and manage workers.

    25% of Greens voters and 29% of part-time workers favoured more input from workers into how businesses are managed.

  • Jul, 2012

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    Industrial Relations Laws

    Q. Business groups have said that Australia’s industrial relations laws favour workers and unions and should be changed so that businesses can increase productivity and have more flexibility with their workforce. Do you think Australia’s industrial relations laws favour employers or workers or do they balance the interests of workers and employers?

     

    6 Feb 12

    Total

    30 Jul 12

    Vote Labor

    Vote Lib/Nat

    Vote Greens

    Full time workers

    Part time workers

    Favour employers

    25%

    20%

    25%

    16%

    33%

    22%

    16%

    Favour workers

    24%

    26%

    12%

    43%

    14%

    29%

    24%

    Balance the interests of employers and workers

    34%

    34%

    49%

    26%

    26%

    33%

    37%

    Don’t know

    17%

    20%

    13%

    15%

    26%

    17%

    23%

    Respondents were divided over whether Australia’s industrial relations laws favour employers or workers – 20% think they favour employers, 26% favour workers and 34% think they balance the interests of both.

    Labor voters are more likely to think they balance workers and employers interests (49%) while Liberal/National voters are more likely to think they favour workers (43%). Only 12% of Labor voters and 14% of Greens voters think the laws favour workers.

  • Jul, 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

    27 Feb 12

    Total

    30 Jul 12

    Vote Labor

    Vote Lib/Nat

    Vote Greens

    Total support

    68%

    65%

    71%

    59%

    83%

    Total oppose

    13%

    14%

    14%

    20%

    2%

    Strongly support

    25%

    25%

    34%

    16%

    47%

    Support

    43%

    40%

    37%

    43%

    36%

    Oppose

    9%

    10%

    10%

    14%

    2%

    Strongly oppose

    4%

    4%

    4%

    6%

    Don’t know

    19%

    20%

    14%

    21%

    15%

    65% say they support the recommendations of the Gonski report on funding education and 14% were opposed. Support has weakened very slightly (-3%) since this question was asked in February after the release of the Gonski Report.

    Strongest support was shown by Labor voters (71%), Greens voters (83%) and people aged 55+ (70%).

  • Jul, 2012

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    Funding Schools

    Q. Do you think all schools should get a similar increase in funding, public schools should receive a larger increase or private schools should receive a larger increase?

     

    Total

    Vote Labor

    Vote Lib/Nat

    Vote Greens

    All schools should receive a similar increase in funding

    28%

    23%

    39%

    7%

    Public schools should receive a larger increase

    63%

    74%

    51%

    79%

    Private schools should receive a larger increase

    2%

    1%

    3%

    Don’t know

    7%

    2%

    6%

    13%

    63% think that public schools should receive a larger increase in funding, 2% think private schools should receive a larger increase and 28% think all schools should receive a similar increase.

    Labor voters (74%) and Greens voters (79%) showed strongest support for increased funding for public schools – although a majority (51%) of Liberal/National voters also supported it.

  • Jul, 2012

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    Workplace Bullying

    Q. Over the last 2 or 3 years, have you been subjected to bullying at work or witnessed bullying of any of your work colleagues?

     

    Total

    Men

    Women

    Aged

    18-34

    Aged

    35-54

    Aged 55+

    Full time workers

    Part time workers

    I have been bullied at work

    13%

    10%

    15%

    14%

    16%

    7%

    14%

    14%

    I have witnessed bullying at work

    19%

    19%

    19%

    23%

    21%

    12%

    25%

    20%

    Total bullied/witnessed bullying

    26%

    25%

    27%

    30%

    30%

    15%

    34%

    25%

    No, I haven’t been bullied or witnessed bullying

    55%

    56%

    55%

    56%

    58%

    49%

    62%

    64%

    I don’t work

    15%

    14%

    16%

    5%

    10%

    35%

    Don’t know

    4%

    5%

    2%

    9%

    2%

    1%

    4%

    11%

    26% of respondents said they had been bullied or witnessed bullying in the workplace over the last 2-3 years. 15% of women and 16% of people aged 35-54 said they had personally been bullied.

    34% of full-time workers and 25% of part-time workers said they had been bullied or witnessed bullying. Levels of bullying were similar across income groups.

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