Essential Research: leader ratings and protest laws

Discouragement for Newspoll’s notion of an Anthony Albanese approval surge, plus a mixed bag of findings on the right to protest.

The latest fortnightly Essential Research poll still offers nothing on voting intention, though it’s relative interesting in that it features the pollster’s monthly leadership ratings. Contrary to Newspoll, these record a weakening in Anthony Albanese’s ratings, with approval down three to 37% and disapproval up five to 34%. Scott Morrison also worsens slightly, down two on approval to 45% and up three on disapproval to 41%, and his preferred prime minister read is essentially steady at 44-28 (43-28 last month).

Further questions relate to the right to protest, including the finding that 33% would support laws flagged by Scott Morrison that “could make consumer or environment boycotts illegal”, while 39% were opposed. Fifty-eight per cent agreed the government had “the right to limit citizen protests when it disrupts business”, with 31% for disagree; but that 53% agreed that “protestors should have the right to pressure banks not to invest in companies that are building coal mines”, with 33% disagreeing.

The poll was conducted Thursday to Sunday from a sample of 1075 respondents chosen from an online panel.

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.

1,832 comments on “Essential Research: leader ratings and protest laws”

Comments Page 3 of 37
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  1. Simon Katich @ #92 Friday, November 15th, 2019 – 9:46 am

    Simon Katich
    Is that Ronnie Barker?

    I think it is KJ and BW.

    I think I have written about this on other occasions. (I’m old and forgetful).

    When the cleaning gang at the local Hopsital had the job of doing some work in the Nunnery we had the chance to chat with the girls – most of whom loved the Two Ronnies.
    Now the question is
    Should I give myself a back up the kickside or wait for the Gummint to finish butt***ing the entire community ❓

    Monsieur de la Katich. I’m the short assed beady eyed one just behind Ronnie Corbett. 😇

    P.S. I had forgotten that Ronnie Corbett had died – 31 March 2016 – RIP.

  3. jenauthor

    With all the terrible fires happening, and fact that the actual PM of the country had refused to meet the people seeking a meeting to workshop the impending crisis they envisaged.

    You would think that this would be a more relevant discussion, then some ridiculous musings about Shorten.

    But maybe that is the point, distract with bullshit. That’s the modus operandi of the govt here and elsewhere at present.

  4. There was a motel in Woy Woy down near the Everglades club on Dunban Rd that had a “Spike Milligan International Wing”. Last I was there a couple of years ago it’d just been bulldozed. Don’t know what replaced it.

  6. Yep. Funny that

    Tom Nichols
    @RadioFreeTom
    The President is so eager to be transparent and to share the tax returns he promised to share in 2015 that he’s now going to the Supreme Court to block their release.

  8. I don’t remember international wing but wherever I stayed, as I piked from camping at Patonga, would have been improved by a wrecking ball

  9. Victoria
    says:
    Friday, November 15, 2019 at 10:06 am
    Yep. Funny that
    ___________________________
    With all the terrible fires happening, and fact that the actual PM of the country had refused to meet the people seeking a meeting to workshop the impending crisis they envisaged.
    You would think that this would be a more relevant discussion, then some ridiculous musings about an impeachment on the other side of the world.

  11. nath
    says:
    Friday, November 15, 2019 at 10:05 am
    Looks like some juicy preselection battles for the Libs in Victoria soon. Will we see the end of Kevin Andrews? Let us pray.
    _____________________
    nath, stop this obsessional posting about Liberal preselections please. It is a sickness.

  13. Gosh, what a great big non-surprise this turned out to be. Good on you Friedbrainburger and the totally impartial Foreign Investment Review Board! Just finish selling the rest of the country and be fucking done with it, I’m sure you and the rest of LNP can find cushy jobs before the final sale goes through.

    https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/frydenberg-gives-chinese-1-5b-bid-for-bellamy-s-the-green-light-20191115-p53aus.html

    “In an interview with The Age and Sydney Morning Herald shortly after the deal was announced, Bellamy’s boss Andrew Cohen said it was “in the national interest, because look, effectively they’re going to keep it as an Australian-run business. If anything, our operations here would grow and our employees would grow”.” And I can make a few extra millions of dollars as a big bonus for selling out.

  14. nath

    You are such a lightweight. Shorten in the scheme of making a difference globally on a rate of one to ten, is zero.

    What happens politically to the US directly impacts the globe. And our country is no exception.

  15. C@t
    Exactly, It’s Latin. Most people will just glaze over at the mention of it.

    Nancy gets it. She thinks and speaks like the common people (it’s why Trump does it too).

    Also, bribery is illegal, which is not necessarily the case with seeking a quid pro quo.

  17. Many years ago I camped at Patonga after hiking from Somersby to Wondabyne – train to Brooklyn then boat.

    Patonga pub was pleasantly rough back then. I suspect it has gentrified.

  18. JimmyD @ #116 Friday, November 15th, 2019 – 10:16 am

    C@t
    Exactly, It’s Latin. Most people will just glaze over at the mention of it.

    Nancy gets it. She thinks and speaks like the common people (it’s why Trump does it too).

    Also, bribery is illegal, which is not necessarily the case with seeking a quid pro quo.

    And, as is the case with Donald Trump. Every. Single. Time. He uses other peoples’ money. 😆

  19. Victoria
    says:
    Friday, November 15, 2019 at 10:16 am
    nath
    You are such a lightweight. Shorten in the scheme of making a difference globally on a rate of one to ten, is zero.
    What happens politically to the US directly impacts the globe. And our country is no exception.
    _____________________
    So can we expect you from now on to criticise all posters who don’t concentrate on the key global and national events? What are the prescribed topics of conversation? If you could list these for us it would be handy.

  20. @BelindaJones68
    ·
    18m
    Anyone seen
    @ScottMorrisonMP
    ?

    I called his office & they can’t tell me where he is or where he’s been for 3 days.

    They said he posted to Facebook 15 hours ago, but that’s it.

    PM appears to have gone AWOL in the middle of this #bushfire emergency, his office has NFI

    Obviously on some sort of mission that he’ll announce if successful.

  22. nath

    No.

    I am merely agreeing with jenauthor about your inane posts about Shorten

    On the scale of importance, sadly for Shorten, he ranks near the bottom at present

  25. Victoria
    says:
    Friday, November 15, 2019 at 10:21 am
    nath
    No.
    I am merely agreeing with jenauthor about your inane posts about Shorten
    On the scale of importance, sadly for Shorten, he ranks near the bottom at present
    __________________________
    So discussion of Shorten is not permitted. Thanks for clearing that up.

  29. Victoria
    says:
    Friday, November 15, 2019 at 10:24 am
    nath
    You can talk about Shorten as much as you like.
    I personally scroll by cos I think it is utterly inane and boring.
    __________________
    No. I think it’s because I have been highly effective. that’s why I attract consternation.

  30. nath

    Too funny. How can it be effective when Shorten is not PM or even opposition leader.
    Again, I repeat sadly for him, he is yesterdays news.
    Front and centre right now is Morrison,
    We have an ailing economy and a climate policy crisis.
    Shorten is meh.
    But knock yourself out. You can have your delusions of grandeur

  31. Few voters have strongly held political beliefs of any kind – and centrist voters are rarer than hen’s teeth. The notion that centrists are common and normal comes from gatekeepers of the political system – media pundits, party power brokers and so on – who choose and legitimate candidates who think like them and who police the discourse about what constitutes a viable candidacy or viable set of policy commitments. People cannot vote for options that aren’t presented.

    The biggest obstacle to positive change in politics is the centrist gatekeepers who think they know what is best for the people. Reducing their power is an essential prerequisite for a revitalised democracy.

  32. lizzie
    “Obviously on some sort of mission that he’ll announce if successful.”

    40 days wandering in the desert? It’s been done before… but whether it was successful or not depends on your POV.

  33. nath

    Oh and for the record, I never cared much for Shorten. So saying negative things about him doesn’t bother me. You focussing on him at present is a waste of time, as he has no influence on how this country is being run by our current govt

  34. Woy Woy, like New York, New York, so good you have to say it twice. Also Wagga Wagga.

    Something about ‘deep water’ isnt it?

  36. JimmyD @ #116 Friday, November 15th, 2019 – 7:16 am

    C@t
    Exactly, It’s Latin. Most people will just glaze over at the mention of it.

    Nancy gets it. She thinks and speaks like the common people (it’s why Trump does it too).

    Also, bribery is illegal, which is not necessarily the case with seeking a quid pro quo.

    Exactly. It could mean nothing more than negotiating a win/win situation between two parties. Neither illegal, nor even necessarily immoral.

    Bribery and extortion on the other hand…..

  38. To win a climate election, parties need ambition, not compromise with the fossil fuel industry

    https://theconversation.com/to-win-a-climate-election-parties-need-ambition-not-compromise-with-the-fossil-fuel-industry-126862?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=twitterbutton

    Ultimately, social change will come from social movements that can build alliances and question the current understandings of prosperity. That is an enormous task, and one that is likely to be led from the bottom-up, and not helped by the sound-bite demands of an election campaign.

  42. Peg
    not compromise with the fossil fuel industry

    I don’t actually agree with that. Mining companies might be a lot more receptive if, for example, the Commonwealth offered to financially facilitate their exit out of coal by buying assets at risk of becoming stranded.

  43. To win a climate election, parties need ambition, not compromise with the fossil fuel industry

    I agree. Ambitious about opening things up. Building things (even electric cars). Not highlighting what you want to close down.

  44. 2019 Bird of the Year

    Ben Raue – And now some psephological analysis:

    “The finch’s success shows the power of a campaign, and giving people a reason to vote.

    “A lot of people would have voted for their personal favourite bird, but others would have seen the finch as an opportunity to make a point and elevate an endangered but obscure bird to a position among the more famous of our birds. While the finch fell well short of a majority in both rounds, it gained much more concentrated support than other birds who would have mostly attracted votes as the personal favourite bird of some Australians.

    “It has a parallel with the New Zealand poll, which recently crowned the yellow-eyed penguin or hoiho as champion. The hoiho is the rarest penguin in the world, with only 225 pairs on the New Zealand mainland, but it managed to attract over 12,000 votes.

    “The victories for the finch and hoiho demonstrate that this vote isn’t just about who your ‘favourite bird’ is. People can have multiple favourites and can decide how to vote based on other factors – what bird is endangered, or who has a chance of winning. A bandwagon can be attractive.”

  45. Nicholas @ #132 Friday, November 15th, 2019 – 10:30 am

    Few voters have strongly held political beliefs of any kind – and centrist voters are rarer than hen’s teeth. The notion that centrists are common and normal comes from gatekeepers of the political system – media pundits, party power brokers and so on – who choose and legitimate candidates who think like them and who police the discourse about what constitutes a viable candidacy or viable set of policy commitments. People cannot vote for options that aren’t presented.

    The biggest obstacle to positive change in politics is the centrist gatekeepers who think they know what is best for the people. Reducing their power is an essential prerequisite for a revitalised democracy.

    You ought to get out and speak to more people. Political thinking and attitudes are everywhere you go.

    Unlike you, politics for most is just a part of life, not life itself.

  46. Nath, didn’t you know that you’re only allowed to be obsessed with attacking the Greens?

    Discussion of the faultless former Labor leader is forbidden. Now hurry up and get on with blaming his failures on the Greens, quick!

  47. No tweets, pressers, or appearances from Scomo in 3 days. Apparently this is unprecedented.
    Doesn’t know how to spin this one is my read.
    Or maybe he’s preparing for the Second Coming with his happy clappy mates.

  49. lefty e @ #149 Friday, November 15th, 2019 – 10:46 am

    No tweets, pressers, or appearances from Scomo in 3 days. Apparently this is unprecedented.
    Doesn’t know how to spin this one is my read.
    Or maybe he’s preparing for the Second Coming with his happy clappy mates.

    He might be doing his induction course to be water boy for the mens Test Cricket Team next week.

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