economy, Essential Report, GFC, global financial crisis, Greens, Joe Hockey, Julia Gillard, kevin rudd, Labor, leadership, Liberal, malcolm turnbull, Nationals, Polling, tony abbott
Q. If there was another global financial crisis or a recession, which of the following would be best to lead Australia?
| Total | Vote Labor | Vote Lib/Nat | Vote Greens | |
| Kevin Rudd | 24% | 34% | 13% | 37% |
| Tony Abbott | 20% | 4% | 44% | – |
| Julia Gillard | 13% | 42% | 1% | 18% |
| Malcolm Turnbull | 13% | 7% | 17% | 17% |
| Joe Hockey | 7% | 1% | 11% | 3% |
| Don’t know | 22% | 12% | 15% | 25% |
24% think Kevin Rudd would be best to lead Australia if there was another GFC and 20% favour Tony Abbott.
Among Labor voters Julia Gillard is preferred over Kevin Rudd 42% to 34%. Support for the current party leaders among their own voters is very similar – 42% of Labor voters prefer Julia Gillard and 44% of Liberal/National voters prefer Tony Abbott.
Approval of opposition leader, Carbon Tax, economy, Essential Report, federal politics, Labor, Liberal, Polling, tax, tony abbott
Q. Do you think the Opposition Leader’s proposal to ditch the carbon tax but keep the personal tax cuts will –
| Total | Vote Labor | Vote Lib/Nat | Vote Greens | |
| Help Australia’s economy | 44% | 19% | 73% | 11% |
| Hurt Australia’s economy | 30% | 58% | 8% | 67% |
| Don’t know | 26% | 24% | 19% | 22% |
44% think Tony Abbott’s proposal to ditch the carbon tax but keep the tax cuts will help Australia’s economy and 30% think it will hurt the economy. Opinions were closely associated with voting intention – 73% of Liberal/National voters think it will help the economy while 58% of Labor voters and 67% of Greens voters think it will hurt the economy.
Those on higher incomes are more likely to think it will help the economy – 50% of those on $1,600+pw compared to only 39% of those earning less than $1,000pw.
anti-government rallies, Essential Report, federal politics, Liberal, Polling, tony abbott
Q. Do you approve or disapprove of Tony Abbott giving his support to these rallies?
| Total | Vote Labor | Vote Lib/Nat | Vote Greens | |
| Total approve | 38% | 14% | 68% | 8% |
| Total disapprove | 36% | 65% | 9% | 75% |
| Strongly approve | 18% | 3% | 37% | 1% |
| Approve | 20% | 11% | 31% | 7% |
| Disapprove | 15% | 25% | 8% | 14% |
| Strongly disapprove | 21% | 40% | 1% | 61% |
| No opinion | 26% | 21% | 22% | 18% |
38% approve and 36% disapprove of Tony Abbott giving his support to the Canberra rallies. Views are closely associated with voting intention.
Groups most likely to approve were aged 65+ (54%) and full-time workers (45%).
Abbott, Approval of opposition leader, Essential Report, federal politics, Polling, polls, tony abbott, Tony Abbott approval
Q. Do you approve or disapprove of the job Tony Abbott is doing as Opposition Leader?
| 18 Jan
2010 |
29 Mar | 5 Jul | 20 Sep | 20 Dec | 17 Jan 2011 | 14 Feb | 14 Mar | 11 Apr | 9 May | 14 June | 11 July | 15 Aug | |
| Total approve | 37% | 33% | 37% | 43% | 39% | 42% | 38% | 38% | 36% | 42% | 38% | 39% | 37% |
| Total disapprove | 37% | 50% | 47% | 37% | 39% | 37% | 46% | 47% | 48% | 44% | 48% | 49% | 50% |
| Strongly approve | 5% | 8% | 8% | 12% | 9% | 7% | 8% | 7% | 7% | 8% | 6% | 6% | 8% |
| Approve | 32% | 25% | 29% | 31% | 30% | 35% | 30% | 31% | 29% | 34% | 32% | 33% | 29% |
| Disapprove | 20% | 28% | 23% | 21% | 21% | 22% | 24% | 24% | 25% | 25% | 25% | 24% | 25% |
| Strongly disapprove | 17% | 22% | 24% | 16% | 18% | 15% | 22% | 23% | 23% | 19% | 23% | 25% | 25% |
| Don’t know | 26% | 16% | 16% | 19% | 22% | 20% | 16% | 16% | 17% | 14% | 15% | 11% | 13% |
37% (down 2%) approve of the job Tony Abbott is doing as Opposition Leader and 50% (up 1%) disapprove – a change in net rating from -10 to -13 over the last 4 weeks. This is Tony Abbott’s worst approval rating this year.
72% of Coalition voters approve and 20% disapprove.
By gender – men 40% approve/49% disapprove, women 33% approve/51% disapprove.
Essential Report, Julia Gillard, Labor, Liberal, Polling, polls, preferred PM, tony abbott
Q. Who do you think would make the better Prime Minister out of Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott?
| 5 Jul 2010 | 17 Jan 2011 | 14 Feb | 14 Mar | 11 Apr | 9 May | 14 June | 11 July | 15 Aug | Vote Labor | Vote Lib/Nat | Vote Greens | |
| Julia Gillard | 53% | 47% | 48% | 44% | 42% | 43% | 41% | 37% | 38% | 82% | 7% | 73% |
| Tony Abbott | 26% | 32% | 31% | 33% | 33% | 35% | 36% | 39% | 36% | 1% | 73% | 7% |
| Don’t know | 21% | 21% | 20% | 23% | 24% | 22% | 24% | 24% | 26% | 17% | 20% | 20% |
38% believe Julia Gillard would make the better Prime Minister and 36% prefer Tony Abbott – a net improvement for Julia Gillard of 4% on last month’s figures (from -2% to +2%).
Men prefer Tony Abbott 41%/35% and women favour Julia Gillard 40%/32%.
climate change, environment, Essential Report, federal politics, Greens, Labor, Liberal, Nationals, Polling, polls, tony abbott
Q. What do you think Tony Abbott actually believes about climate change?
| Total | Vote Labor | Vote Lib/Nat | Vote Greens | |
| Does not believe in climate change | 19% | 28% | 14% | 34% |
| Does believe in climate change | 27% | 13% | 46% | 8% |
| Doesn’t care whether climate change is real or not | 31% | 48% | 17% | 42% |
| Don’t know | 22% | 11% | 22% | 16% |
31% of respondents think that Tony Abbott doesn’t care whether climate change is real or not, 27% think he believes in climate change and 19% think he doesn’t.
46% of Liberal/National voters think he believes in climate change compared to only 13% of Labor voters and 8% of Greens voters. 34% of Greens voters think he does not believe in climate change and 48% of Labor voters think he doesn’t care whether climate change is real or not.
carbon pricing scheme, Carbon Tax, Essential Report, Greens, Labor, Liberal, Nationals, Polling, polls, tony abbott
Q. If the Government introduces their carbon pricing scheme Tony Abbott has said that if the Liberal Party wins the next election he will repeal this legislation. Do you support or oppose his proposal to overturn the carbon pricing scheme after it has been put in place?
| Total | Vote Labor | Vote Lib/Nat | Vote Greens | |
| Total support | 50% | 24% | 81% | 15% |
| Total oppose | 36% | 63% | 9% | 73% |
| Strongly support | 30% | 8% | 56% | 8% |
| Support | 20% | 16% | 25% | 7% |
| Oppose | 14% | 19% | 7% | 12% |
| Strongly oppose | 22% | 44% | 2% | 61% |
| Don’t know | 15% | 13% | 9% | 10% |
Overall, 50% of respondents support Tony Abbott’s proposal to overturn the carbon pricing scheme after it has been put in place.
Not surprisingly 81% of Lib/Nat voters support Tony Abbott’s proposal. 63% of Labor voters, and 73% of Green voters oppose Tony Abbott’s proposal.
Support for Tony Abbott’s proposal increased with age, with 63% of those aged 65+, compared to 36% of those aged 18-24 supporting the proposal to overturn the carbon pricing scheme.
Males (53%) were slightly more likely than females (47%) to support Tony Abbott’s proposal.
Approval of opposition leader, Essential Report, federal politics, Greens, Labor, Liberal, Nationals, Polling, polls, tony abbott
Q. Do you approve or disapprove of the job Tony Abbott is doing as Opposition Leader?
| 18 Jan
2010 |
29 Mar | 5 Jul | 20 Sep | 20 Dec | 17 Jan 2011 | 14 Feb | 14 Mar | 11 Apr | 9 May | 14 June | 11 July | |
| Total approve | 37% | 33% | 37% | 43% | 39% | 42% | 38% | 38% | 36% | 42% | 38% | 39% |
| Total disapprove | 37% | 50% | 47% | 37% | 39% | 37% | 46% | 47% | 48% | 44% | 48% | 49% |
| Strongly approve | 5% | 8% | 8% | 12% | 9% | 7% | 8% | 7% | 7% | 8% | 6% | 6% |
| Approve | 32% | 25% | 29% | 31% | 30% | 35% | 30% | 31% | 29% | 34% | 32% | 33% |
| Disapprove | 20% | 28% | 23% | 21% | 21% | 22% | 24% | 24% | 25% | 25% | 25% | 24% |
| Strongly disapprove | 17% | 22% | 24% | 16% | 18% | 15% | 22% | 23% | 23% | 19% | 23% | 25% |
| Don’t know | 26% | 16% | 16% | 19% | 22% | 20% | 16% | 16% | 17% | 14% | 15% | 11% |
39% (up 1%) approve of the job Tony Abbott is doing as Opposition Leader and 49% (up 1%) disapprove – no change in net rating (-10%) over the last 4 weeks.
73% of Coalition voters approve and 19% disapprove.
By gender – men 44% approve/48% disapprove, women 35% approve/51% disapprove.