Voters are more focused on reducing power prices than on emissions
reductions or electricity grid security according to the latest Guardian
Essential poll, which comes ahead of the release of the Finkel review of the electricity sector late this week.
Voters in this week’s survey were asked to rank priorities ahead of the release of Friday’s much-anticipated Finkel report, after being reminded of the Turnbull government’s repeated pledge to deal with a “trilemma” of issues: lowering power costs, boosting energy security and reducing emissions.
The survey of 1,774 voters ranked keeping the cost of energy down as the first priority, followed by reducing emissions, and then maintaining reliability in the grid. Twenty-one per cent of the sample believed there was no need to prioritise because all of those objectives could be achieved.
Keeping power prices down was the most popular option for Liberal/National voters (33%) and ALP voters (28%). The most popular option among Greens voters was to prioritise the reduction of carbon emissions (49%).
South Australians, who have experienced power disruptions and a state-wide blackout over the past 12 months, were more likely than other states to prefer the reliability of energy supply to be prioritised (31%).
Friday’s Finkel review is expected to recommend a new low emissions target for the electricity sector,
which is a mechanism to deliver investment certainty, and, if well
designed, a regulation that will lower emissions. It is not, in and of
itself, a mechanism to lower power prices.
The latest Guardian Essential poll, to be released on Tuesday, also suggests the two-party-preferred gap is narrowing between the major political parties.
Labor remains in front of the Turnbull government 52% to 48% in the latest survey – but the trend for the government over the past fortnight has been positive.
On 9 May, the day of the federal budget, Labor was ahead of the Coalition, 54% to 46%. The week after the budget, the result remained the same.
But over the past two polls the gap has narrowed. Last week, Labor led the government 53% to 47%, and Tuesday’s result has Labor ahead 52% to 48%.
While the narrowing of the political contest will doubtless be welcomed in government ranks, the recent positive movement is within the poll’s margin of error, which is plus or minus three points.
In issues beyond the hot-button subject of energy prices, the latest Guardian Essential survey suggests voters are not profoundly negative about some of the major ideas to emerge from the Uluru statement last week – despite the regular public caution expressed by federal politicians about the risks of taking ambitious proposals to a referendum.
Each measure had greater support than opposition, with the most popular idea being enshrining an Indigenous voice to parliament in the constitution, with 44% support.
Support for that concept was greatest among Greens voters (74% support), ALP voters (51%) and those with a university degree (52%), but underscoring the political difficulties ahead for Malcolm Turnbull, more Liberal/National voters opposed than supported each of the major measures.
In addition to enshrining an Indigenous voice to parliament in the constitution, negotiating a treaty between the federal government and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples was supported by 43% of the sample, and opposed by 17%.
Creating a treaty commission to negotiate treaties between various levels of government and different Indigenous language groups or tribes was supported by 39% and opposed by 19%.
Creating a truth and reconciliation commission was backed by 39% and opposed by 18%.
Public support in the latest poll for marriage equality remained in clear majority. Sixty per cent thought that people of the same sex should be able to marry (down 2% since August 2016), and 26% thought that they should not (down 1%).
Women are more likely than men to support marriage equality and 72% of 18-to-24-year-olds are positive, compared with 42% of over 65-year-olds.
Sixty-oner per cent of voters thought same-sex marriage should be decided by a national vote, which is up 2% since August 2016, and 27% thought it should be decided by parliament, up 2% since August 2016.
Voters were also asked questions about Australia’s foreign aid program. Forty-one per cent thought we spend too much on foreign aid, 16% thought we spent too little, and 19% thought we spent about the right amount.
Fifty-nine per cent of voters thought that providing aid to Papua New Guinea and the Pacific Island countries was very or somewhat important.
Voters were also asked about the trade-off between the Great Barrier Reef and new coal jobs. Forty-one per cent thought there was a trade-off between reef jobs and coal jobs, and that reef jobs should be prioritised.
Twelve per cent thought there was a trade-off between tourism and resources employment – and coal jobs should be prioritised. Twenty-one per cent did not think there was a trade-off.
Of those who thought there was a trade-off between reef jobs and coal jobs, 77% thought that reef jobs should be prioritised, and 23% thought that coal jobs should be prioritised.
Queenslanders were more likely than other states to think that there was no trade-off between reef jobs and coal jobs (26%).
Voters in this week’s survey were asked to rank priorities ahead of the release of Friday’s much-anticipated Finkel report, after being reminded of the Turnbull government’s repeated pledge to deal with a “trilemma” of issues: lowering power costs, boosting energy security and reducing emissions.
The survey of 1,774 voters ranked keeping the cost of energy down as the first priority, followed by reducing emissions, and then maintaining reliability in the grid. Twenty-one per cent of the sample believed there was no need to prioritise because all of those objectives could be achieved.
Keeping power prices down was the most popular option for Liberal/National voters (33%) and ALP voters (28%). The most popular option among Greens voters was to prioritise the reduction of carbon emissions (49%).
South Australians, who have experienced power disruptions and a state-wide blackout over the past 12 months, were more likely than other states to prefer the reliability of energy supply to be prioritised (31%).
The latest Guardian Essential poll, to be released on Tuesday, also suggests the two-party-preferred gap is narrowing between the major political parties.
Labor remains in front of the Turnbull government 52% to 48% in the latest survey – but the trend for the government over the past fortnight has been positive.
On 9 May, the day of the federal budget, Labor was ahead of the Coalition, 54% to 46%. The week after the budget, the result remained the same.
But over the past two polls the gap has narrowed. Last week, Labor led the government 53% to 47%, and Tuesday’s result has Labor ahead 52% to 48%.
While the narrowing of the political contest will doubtless be welcomed in government ranks, the recent positive movement is within the poll’s margin of error, which is plus or minus three points.
In issues beyond the hot-button subject of energy prices, the latest Guardian Essential survey suggests voters are not profoundly negative about some of the major ideas to emerge from the Uluru statement last week – despite the regular public caution expressed by federal politicians about the risks of taking ambitious proposals to a referendum.
Each measure had greater support than opposition, with the most popular idea being enshrining an Indigenous voice to parliament in the constitution, with 44% support.
Support for that concept was greatest among Greens voters (74% support), ALP voters (51%) and those with a university degree (52%), but underscoring the political difficulties ahead for Malcolm Turnbull, more Liberal/National voters opposed than supported each of the major measures.
In addition to enshrining an Indigenous voice to parliament in the constitution, negotiating a treaty between the federal government and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples was supported by 43% of the sample, and opposed by 17%.
Creating a treaty commission to negotiate treaties between various levels of government and different Indigenous language groups or tribes was supported by 39% and opposed by 19%.
Creating a truth and reconciliation commission was backed by 39% and opposed by 18%.
Public support in the latest poll for marriage equality remained in clear majority. Sixty per cent thought that people of the same sex should be able to marry (down 2% since August 2016), and 26% thought that they should not (down 1%).
Women are more likely than men to support marriage equality and 72% of 18-to-24-year-olds are positive, compared with 42% of over 65-year-olds.
Sixty-oner per cent of voters thought same-sex marriage should be decided by a national vote, which is up 2% since August 2016, and 27% thought it should be decided by parliament, up 2% since August 2016.
Voters were also asked questions about Australia’s foreign aid program. Forty-one per cent thought we spend too much on foreign aid, 16% thought we spent too little, and 19% thought we spent about the right amount.
Fifty-nine per cent of voters thought that providing aid to Papua New Guinea and the Pacific Island countries was very or somewhat important.
Voters were also asked about the trade-off between the Great Barrier Reef and new coal jobs. Forty-one per cent thought there was a trade-off between reef jobs and coal jobs, and that reef jobs should be prioritised.
Twelve per cent thought there was a trade-off between tourism and resources employment – and coal jobs should be prioritised. Twenty-one per cent did not think there was a trade-off.
Of those who thought there was a trade-off between reef jobs and coal jobs, 77% thought that reef jobs should be prioritised, and 23% thought that coal jobs should be prioritised.
Queenslanders were more likely than other states to think that there was no trade-off between reef jobs and coal jobs (26%).
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