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  • Aug, 2014

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    Spending on anti-terrorism

    Q. Do you think the Australian Government should be spending more or less on anti-terrorism measures or is current spending about right?

     

    Total

     

     

    Vote Labor

    Vote Lib/Nat

    Vote Greens

    Vote other

    Spending more

    28%

    23%

    39%

    15%

    28%

    Spending less

    19%

    22%

    12%

    37%

    21%

    Current spending about right

    36%

    40%

    37%

    22%

    40%

    Don’t know

    16%

    15%

    12%

    26%

    11%

    28% think the Australian Government should be spending more on anti-terrorism measures and 19% think they should be spending less – 36% think the current spending is about right.

    Those most likely to support spending more were aged 55+ (40%), Liberal/National voters (39%) and those who had not completed secondary education (38%).

    Those most likely to support spending less were aged under 25 (27%), Greens voters (37%) and those with university education (26%).

  • Apr, 2014

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    Cutting funding to ABC

    Q. Would you approve or disapprove of cutting funding to the ABC?

     

    Total

     

     

    Vote Labor

    Vote Lib/Nat

    Vote Greens

    Vote other

    Total approve

    21%

    12%

    37%

    8%

    15%

    Total disapprove

    61%

    70%

    43%

    85%

    75%

    Strongly approve

    7%

    2%

    16%

    3%

    5%

    Approve

    14%

    10%

    21%

    5%

    10%

    Disapprove

    29%

    29%

    30%

    12%

    38%

    Strongly disapprove

    32%

    41%

    13%

    73%

    37%

    Don’t know

    18%

    19%

    20%

    7%

    10%

    61% disapprove (including 32% strongly disapprove) of cutting funding to the ABC and 21% approve.

    Those most likely to disapprove were Greens voters (85%), other voters (75%) and Labor voters (70%). Liberal/National voters were split 37% approve and 43% disapprove.

    Those aged 55+ were a little more likely to approve  – 26% approve/60% disapprove. 28% of men approved compared to only 14% of women.

  • Apr, 2014

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    Reason for cutting funding to ABC

    Q. If the Federal Government cut funding to the ABC do you think it would be because:

     

    Total

     

     

    Vote Labor

    Vote Lib/Nat

    Vote Greens

    Vote other

    The Government needs to reduce overall spending

    45%

    36%

    64%

    25%

    39%

    The Government doesn’t like the ABC’s news coverage

    28%

    38%

    6%

    65%

    36%

    The ABC has more than enough funding to do its job efficiently

    10%

    6%

    17%

    1%

    7%

    Don’t know

    18%

    20%

    13%

    9%

    18%

    45% think that funding cuts to the ABC would be made because the Government needs to reduce overall spending and 28% think it would be because the Government doesn’t like the ABC’s news coverage.

    Those more likely to think it would be because the Government doesn’t like the ABC’s news coverage were Greens voters (65%), Labor voters (38%), income less than $600pw (38%) and university educated (34%).

  • Mar, 2014

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    Where Government should reduce spending

    If “Reduce spending” or “both” –

    Q. In which of the following areas should the Government reduce spending?

     

    Total

     

    Vote Labor

    Vote Lib/Nat

    Vote Greens

    Vote other

     

    13 Aug 13

    Foreign aid

    79%

    72%

    83%

    56%

    92%

    76%

    The arts

    70%

    64%

    75%

    44%

    61%

    70%

    Private schools

    65%

    76%

    57%

    68%

    70%

    59%

    Subsidies for business

    61%

    59%

    62%

    70%

    57%

    59%

    Welfare support

    44%

    31%

    54%

    46%

    37%

    43%

    Support for manufacturing industries

    43%

    34%

    46%

    46%

    34%

    32%

    Defence

    38%

    47%

    31%

    68%

    36%

    34%

    The environment

    36%

    32%

    41%

    6%

    45%

    36%

    Border security

    23%

    33%

    12%

    60%

    27%

    18%

    Universities

    23%

    24%

    26%

    16%

    17%

    18%

    Public transport

    15%

    18%

    13%

    20%

    16%

    14%

    Roads

    12%

    15%

    9%

    12%

    16%

    12%

    Pensions

    12%

    13%

    12%

    6%

    13%

    9%

    Public schools

    9%

    8%

    10%

    8%

    13%

    9%

    Health and hospitals

    8%

    10%

    9%

    7%

    6%

    5%

    Of those who think spending should be reduced, 79% think spending on foreign aid should be reduced, 70% the arts, 65% private schools and 61% subsidies for business.

    The areas least likely to be nominated for spending cuts were health and hospitals, public schools, pensions and roads.

    Since this question was asked in August, the percentage thinking that spending on support for manufacturing industries should be reduced has increased from 32% to 43%.

  • Apr, 2013

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    Spending by a Liberal Government

    Q. If the Liberal Party won Government at the next election, do you think they would increase or decrease spending on the following areas or spend about the same as the Labor Government?

     

    Increase spending

    Decrease spending

    Spend about the same

    Don’t know

    Public schools

    22%

    30%

    33%

    15%

    Private schools

    28%

    27%

    28%

    16%

    Universities

    18%

    29%

    36%

    16%

    Support for manufacturing industries

    26%

    23%

    32%

    19%

    Pensions

    19%

    32%

    36%

    14%

    Welfare support

    12%

    45%

    28%

    14%

    Health and hospitals

    33%

    27%

    25%

    14%

    The environment

    11%

    39%

    34%

    16%

    Defence

    31%

    19%

    34%

    16%

    Foreign aid

    8%

    41%

    33%

    18%

    Public transport

    23%

    26%

    35%

    16%

    Roads

    26%

    22%

    36%

    16%

    Border security

    44%

    14%

    28%

    14%

    The arts

    7%

    40%

    32%

    21%

    Subsidies for business

    34%

    20%

    28%

    18%

    Overall, respondents were more likely to think a Liberal Government would reduce spending on welfare support, the arts, the environment, foreign aid, pensions, public schools and universities. They were more likely to think they would increase spending on  border security, defence and subsidies for business.

    Liberal voters thought a Liberal Government would be more likely to increase than decrease spending on public schools, manufacturing industries, pensions, public transport, health and hospitals, defence, roads, border security and subsidies for business.

  • Aug, 2011

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    Preferred Action on another GFC

    Q. If the world has another GFC (Global Financial Crisis) and the Australian economy worsens, which of the following actions would be more likely to protect jobs and help the economy?

    Total Vote Labor Vote Lib/Nat Vote Greens
    Increase Government spending on new infrastructure and services 48% 62% 42% 53%
    Cut spending on infrastructure and services 22% 13% 31% 19%
    Don’t know 30% 24% 28% 28%

    Respondents were more likely to want the Government to increase spending if there was another GFC.  Support for increased spending was strongest among Labor voters (62%), men (55%) full-time workers (53%) and people earning over $1,600pw (55%).

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  • Jul, 2011

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    Foreign Aid Budget

    Q. As far as you know, about how much of the Federal budget is spent on foreign aid?

    Total Vote Labor Vote Lib/Nat Vote Greens
    Less than 1% 7% 8% 6% 15%
    About 1% 8% 10% 8% 14%
    About 2% 17% 23% 17% 12%
    About 5% 11% 8% 15% 10%
    More than 5% 16% 16% 15% 7%
    Don’t know 41% 35% 38% 42%

    27% think Australia spends 5% or more of the Federal Budget on foreign aid – 15% think it is 1% or less. The majority of respondents who gave an answer over-estimated how much Australia spends on foreign aid – the actual figure for the 2011-12 budget was 1.3%.

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  • Jul, 2011

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    Foreign Aid Spending

    Q. And do you think Australia spends too much or too little on foreign aid?

    Total Vote Labor Vote Lib/Nat Vote Greens Spend 1% or less Spend about 2% Spend 5% or more Don’t know spend
    Spends too much 42% 34% 52% 25% 25% 28% 66% 40%
    Spends too little 16% 20% 11% 37% 36% 25% 7% 9%
    Spends about the right amount 21% 27% 21% 21% 30% 39% 19% 13%
    Don’t know 21% 20% 15% 16% 9% 8% 8% 39%

    42% think Australia spends too much on foreign aid, 21% about the right amount and 16% too little. Opinions are strongly related to perceptions of how much is spent. Those who think Australia spends a higher % of the budget are much more likely to think the spend is too much.

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