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  • 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.

  • Mar, 2013

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    Services better run by Government or Private Sector

    Q. Which of the following are better run by the private sector and which are better run by Government?

     

    11 Mar 2013

    31 Jan 2011

     

    Better run by private sector

    Better run by Government

    Don’t know

    Better run by private sector

    Better run by Government

    Don’t know

    Electricity

    25%

    62%

    13%

    22%

    61%

    17%

    Water

    19%

    69%

    12%

    15%

    70%

    16%

    Trains, buses and ferries

    25%

    64%

    11%

    19%

    68%

    13%

    Motorways

    23%

    66%

    11%

    17%

    70%

    13%

    Community services such as child protection

    14%

    75%

    11%

    14%

    71%

    15%

    Telecommunications (including broadband services)

    45%

    44%

    11%

    na

    na

    na

    Hospitals and health services

    19%

    71%

    10%

    na

    na

    na

    Schools

    21%

    69%

    10%

    na

    na

    na

    Prisons

    17%

    73%

    11%

    10%

    76%

    15%

    Universities

    27%

    61%

    12%

    20%

    64%

    16%

    Ports

    22%

    60%

    19%

    na

    na

    na

    Most services listed were clearly thought to be better run by Government than the private sector.

    The only exception was telecommunications where respondents were split 45% private sector, 44% Government.

    The areas most preferred to be run by Government were – community services (75%), prisons (73%), hospitals and health services (71%), schools (69%) and water (69%).

    Compared to the results when this question was asked in January 2011, preference for the private sector running services has increased a little – +6% for trains, buses and ferries and motorways and +7% for prisons and universities.

  • May, 2012

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    Are we dumbing down our universities?


    Matt McGowan explains why opening up university places is admirable but will fail unless it is matched with better funding.

    This year almost 90 per cent of school leavers who applied to go to university got a place. That’s because the government removed the caps on university enrolments to create more opportunities for those from lower socio-economic groups.

    But Matt McGowan from the National Tertiary Education Union tells 3Q that academics are already suffering with the swelling numbers of foreign fee paying students. With this new influx – which brings in much less funding capital – the pressures on the system will be magnified.

    He talks about the NTEU’s campaign Invest in Universities calling for a fix to the problem.

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