Essential Research: 53-47 to Labor

Essential talks penalty rates, party leaders and Tony Abbott’s five-point plan, while recording no change on voting intention.

No change this week, at all, from the Essential Research fortnight rolling average – Coalition and Labor 37% apiece, Greens and One Nation 9%, Nick Xenophon Team 3%, 53-47 to Labor on two-party preferred.

The poll finds 32% approval and 56% disapproval of the decision on penalty rates, with the disapproval more keenly felt (34% strongly) than the approval (9% strongly). Fifty-seven per cent thought the more likely result would be more profits for business, compared with 24% for more workers being employed. Fifty-one per cent favour legislation being passed to reverse the decision, with 31% opposed.

An occasional question on favoured party leaders shows little change for the Liberals since November, with Malcolm Turnbull down one to 20%, Julie Bishop down three to 17% and Tony Abbott on 10%, with Christopher Pyne, Scott Morrison and Peter Dutton (the latter newly added as a response option) each on 2%. For Labor, Bill Shorten is up four to 21%, Tanya Plibersek is down one to 13%, Anthony Albanese is down one to 11%, Chris Bowen is down one to 3%, and Tony Burke is steady on 2%.

Tony Abbott’s five-point plan for Liberal recovery is put to the test: approval is registered for cutting immigration to make housing more affordable (57% to 28%) and reforming the Senate to reduce the power of small parties (41% to 34%), but abolishing the Human Rights Commission to allow more free speech scores 33% to 44% against, and ending subsidies and targets for renewables to reduce household power bills (40% to 38%) and stopping all new government spending (43% to 41%) come in neutral.

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.

3,280 comments on “Essential Research: 53-47 to Labor”

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  1. Yabba88 #3186 Monday, March 13, 2017 at 10:15 pm

    Obviously it is a shame that Mother Teresa was ever born, Mary McKillop also in the same boat according to you. If you were a victim of abuse by the Catholic Church, I would understand your anger to some degree. But I have met quite a few people that were victims of paedophiles in the Church, and none of them behave like you. They still had anger, lot’s of it. But it was very directed at the perpetrators and those that protected them. I suspect that you just have a loud mouth and need to change your name from Yabba to Yobbo. And no, I am not a Catholic.

    Tom.

  3. At one time in the UK the Returning Officer, who was disenfranchised, had a casting vote but I suspect that disappeared with rotten boroughs, restricted franchise and open ballots

  5. So more like a consultant for hire on how the system works

    My view is he shops himself out. He may not have liked what PHON delivered, and figured their electoral failure when contrasted with expectations trashed his brand, hence the crab walk away from them today.

  7. Next weeks QanDa is about the media.

    Yay us viewers. Pointless show pony media program brings us a pointless show pony media program about the media.

  13. tom @ #3201 Monday, March 13, 2017 at 10:35 pm

    Yabba88 #3186 Monday, March 13, 2017 at 10:15 pm
    Obviously it is a shame that Mother Teresa was ever born, Mary McKillop also in the same boat according to you. If you were a victim of abuse by the Catholic Church, I would understand your anger to some degree. But I have met quite a few people that were victims of paedophiles in the Church, and none of them behave like you. They still had anger, lot’s of it. But it was very directed at the perpetrators and those that protected them. I suspect that you just have a loud mouth and need to change your name from Yabba to Yobbo. And no, I am not a Catholic.
    Tom.

    You are obviously who the original Yabba was.

  18. Confessions

    Saw an article which said he gets paid $50,000 per successful candidate. Seems a bit low but then he has had a few.

  21. Because all politicians are entirely conflict of interest free……

    Well strictly speaking Druery is not a politician, but a staffer of one. Which makes me wonder why Hinch doesn’t have raised eyebrows or bugged eyes at his staffer shopping himself out on the side to parties contesting state election campaigns.

  22. Tom, You have not been around here while GG was minimising and deflecting, and abusing me and others.

    I am not religious at all, and was not raised a catholic. A good friend, who was also a work colleague and neighbour, committed suicide as a direct result of long term trauma resulting from abuse by several ‘brothers’. His mother was a leading light in the Victorian Labor Party, and he was sent to boarding school when he was 11.

    Another friend has told his story to the RC. GG has been an apologist/deflector for the institution which perpetrated this revolting torture, and denied it, and covered it up and protected the evil bastards, while rejecting and psychologically torturing the victims. Mother Theresa (not exactly a good example, if you have actually done any reading about her) and Mary McKillop have nothing to do with it.

    GG has never acknowledged the evil, never retreated a centimetre in his defence of Pell and the rest of the vile bastards. He is patently brainwashed, and impervious to reason. A true believer.

  25. Grimace,

    Precisely. There are many areas in life where we treat adults as children – unable or incapable in some way. Its a simple fact. Society doesn’t grant absolute individual freedom and for good reason. I used to bitch about banning crackers but I very nearly did a serious injury to a kid at my last cracker night.

  29. Yabba yes GG is a good example of an otherwise rational adult human having been ‘gotten’ as a kid (Im talking indoctrination). Ive seen his thinly veiled homophobia on numerous occasions so its no surprise that I don’t have much time for him.

  30. They could fix it with the stroke of a pen, Rossmcg.

    Finkel’s final report is due “in the first half of 2017,” which means soon. he will recommend domestic gas reservation, and groups like Credit Suisse (scroll down a bit – it’s long and detailed) have outlined a pragmatic path to implement that policy.

  31. Tom as someone who cannot drive (sight) I look forward to a day where hands on driving is an exception. It will save a lot of lives. I also support the banning of both greyhound and horse racing. So bite me.

  35. Yabba, not only are you abusing ALL Catholics, you are also abusing ALL Christians for having a belief. That I find very offensive. Not all Christians are sex offenders. As to Pell, yes, well. Whilst there has been no proof yet (that has been made public whilst he is still os), one would think that he should certainly be held responsible for at least turning a blind eye to what happened. But how about you direct your anger at those that offended and those that aided them? Else your efforts will just be counter productive.

    Tom.

  42. Oh, I have, I have!
    But I need another hit.
    Can one of our numerous resident psychiatrists recommend a cure to my sad addiction?

  44. I understand Coopers is a favourite among tradies, especially plumbers.

    Apparently it up there alongside Draino and caustic soda for unblocking sinks.

  46. tom @ #3235 Monday, March 13, 2017 at 11:09 pm

    Yabba, not only are you abusing ALL Catholics, you are also abusing ALL Christians for having a belief. That I find very offensive. Not all Christians are sex offenders. As to Pell, yes, well. Whilst there has been no proof yet (that has been made public whilst he is still os), one would think that he should certainly be held responsible for at least turning a blind eye to what happened. But how about you direct your anger at those that offended and those that aided them? Else your efforts will just be counter productive.
    Tom.

    The behaviour of GG and others enables the people who offend and those who aid them.

    IMO Christian and other beliefs are to be taken as seriously as those who profess there are faries at the bottom of their gardens.

  49. Tom, GG defends them, and therefore indirectly aids them. And I am not abusing anybody. I was simply pointing out the utter ridiculousness of GG pontificating about free will, when he plainly cannot think straight. I actually feel sorry for him, and all of the others who have been brainwashed in a similar manner, since it places them in a warped space, where bad decisions are made. How do you think the parents of the victims feel, since they were fooled in the same way as GG has been?

    For myself, I simply cannot understand how any rational human being, with a functioning brain, can base their lives and their thinking on the collected myths and legends of various bands of nomadic middle eastern sheep and goat herders.

    Read this: http://www.metaphysicspirit.com/books/A%20History%20of%20God.pdf

    And have a look at this, the Constellation Andromeda:
    http://www.spacetelescope.org/images/heic1502a/zoomable/ Zoom in!

    The light from those countless millions of stars, which created this photograph, left them 12 million years before the middle eastern tribes invented their five main gods, one of which, after several transmogrifications, turned into the one which is now the Christian, Jewish and Muslim god. But that god created the universe, which, at the time, around 6,000 years ago, as recorded in their book, consisted of the earth, flat, in the middle, with the stars above, and hellfire below, and the seas around.

  50. A prick like Hastie – committed to God, then off to give big businesd a great big tax cut at the expense of the poor.
    And there’s Morrison, in the church, speaking in tongues, then off to craft a budget for Australia.

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