Essential Research: 53-47 to Coalition

Crikey reports the latest Essential Research poll has the Coalition lead at 53-47, up from 52-48 last week – which managing director Peter Lewis indicated Labor was lucky to get to because of rounding. On the primary vote, Labor is down two points to 34 per cent, with the Coalition and the Greens up a point each to 47 per cent and 12 per cent. I should have the full report shortly, but in the meantime Bernard Keane of Crikey summarises the other findings thus:

Voters strongly support Labor’s moves to trim middle-class welfare, according to today’s Essential Report.

Fifty-two per cent of voters back Wayne Swan’s budget night measure to continue the pause in indexation of the thresholds at which family payments are phased out, to 28% who oppose them. Even Liberal voters back them, 47-38%. Voters were strongly of the view that households earning more than $150,000 a year don’t need family payments — 67% of voters agreed with that, and only 27% disagreed.

Only 35% agreed that all taxpayers should be eligible for some form of payment, regardless of income, compared to 57% disagreeing. However, most voters distinguished between family payments and welfare, with 61% agreeing that family payments to middle-income earners were different to welfare payments to low income earners (we’ll discuss Essential’s results on views toward middle class welfare in more detail tomorrow).

There has also been a further rise in support for the Government’s plan to impose a price on carbon. After reaching the nadir of support at the end of March, when support was just 34% and opposition 51%, support grew in April and last week was at 41% support and 44% opposition, with Greens voters now strongly in favour of it after initially being lukewarm.

The poll also revealed a quite remarkable ignorance of one of the government’s key reforms, its scheduled increase in the compulsory superannuation rate to 12%. Around 53% of voters said they had not heard of the proposal and a further 27% saying they had heard little — a damning indictment of Labor’s efforts to sell what began as a key part of its mining tax package, particularly given there was strong support for the proposal across voters of different stripes.

UPDATE: Full report here.

Author: William Bowe

William Bowe is a Perth-based election analyst and occasional teacher of political science. His blog, The Poll Bludger, has existed in one form or another since 2004, and is one of the most heavily trafficked websites on Australian politics.

8,354 comments on “Essential Research: 53-47 to Coalition”

Comments Page 3 of 168
1 2 3 4 … 168

  1. So its:

    ALP, Climate, Climate, Climate.

    Lib, Boats,Boats,Boats.

    Hmmmm, which ones an issue of actual national significance??

  2. Mr Combet up on a dot dixer on the Climate Commission Report.

    Mr Hunt says that there is bipartisan support for the climate science as presented in the Report. But, but, but… Mr Minchin, Mr Joyce, Ms Mirabella,

  13. my say, i think it was because her POO was irrelevant and she asked a question with it after she had been warned not too.

  14. Combet:

    ‘The Leader of the Opposition never lets facts get in the way of a fear campaign.’

    Reminds the House of Mr Minchin’s words, Mr Jensen’s words…

  15. Combet: Never let the facts get in the way of a good fear campaign.

    I hope they use these lines in TV interviews.

  17. Jensen’s use of not acting on a meteorite hitting earth as an analogy for not acting on AGW was particularly stupid.

  20. So thats ALL of the Ooppo’s questions so far on Boats?? this is sick.

    Bennelong’s member asks to have his arse handed to him. 🙂

  23. Bowen returning servewith a bit of passion. Doing well.

    The Government finally has the parliamentary ascendancy on asylum seekers.

  24. Re Essential report:

    (1) is 34% ALP’s lowest ever first preference figure for Essential? I have seen 2pps of 46% but that was off the back of 35% and 36% first preferences.
    (2) how to reconcile the slight dip in ALP figures and improved results on individual questions?

  34. Another Dot Dixer on CC. This time to Swan about the economy. His answer is predictable.

    (Methinks the Opposition strategy will be to divert attention from the Climate Commission Report by doing a histrionic MPI complete with appropriate sound bites and vision.)

    Swannee serving it up to Mr Hockey for his press club performance then reminds everyone that Mr Abbott is a denialist.

    Mr Pyne does POO.

  37. Mr Swan reminding the House of Mr Turnbull’s ‘repudiation’ of the LOO’s position on climate change.

    Mr Jenkins stops Mr Swan in his tracks.

    Mr Swan does chicken little on climate change.

  38. I wish the government would stop using the term “believing in climate change” and instead use “accept the evidence of climate change”.
    It is not about faith. It is about scientific observation and analysis.

  40. “It is not a threat understood by any of those over there, Mr Speaker, because they are all, at their cores, climate change deniers.” -Swan’s conclusion.

  44. I’d prefer to hear it called just “the science”, not “the science of climate change”. We have the science they just have the opinions.

  45. Ms Bishop, East Timore, Manus Island and the Malaysian deal.

    When will Mr Rudd take on the shambles that…?

    The Opposition cheers loudly when Mr Rudd rises. (Labor hack Rudd lovers take note.)

Comments are closed.

Comments Page 3 of 168
1 2 3 4 … 168