More than 40% of Coalition voters would like to see some proposals thrown out by the Senate, it says
Almost half the electorate would support opposition parties blocking the budget and forcing the nation back to the polls and more than 60% back the blocking of the most controversial budget measures, underlining the government’s continuing failure to sell its unpopular budget.
Even 41% of Liberal/National party voters would like to see some budget measures thrown out by the Senate, according to a new poll by Essential Research.
The prime minister told his party room on Tuesday that while the Coalition was facing “testing times” politically, the electorate understood the government had “warm hearts, clear heads and strong spines”.
But the poll suggests voters have hardened in their rejection of key budget measures with 63% saying they would back Labor’s decision to block the deregulation of university fees, 62% saying Labor should block the raising of the pension age to 70 and 61% backing a vote against the $7 Medicare co-payment.
Asked a general question about whether the Labor party should block all, some or none of the budget measures, 53% said some measures should be blocked – including 41% of Liberal/National party voters.
Asked whether Labor should block the budget and force a new election, 47% supported the idea, including 9% of Coalition voters, and 40% opposed it.
And voters’ negative views appeared to have strengthened since polling that was carried out shortly after the budget, on 19 May. Forty-eight per cent said they now think the budget “cut spending too much” – seven percentage points higher than in the previous poll.
The Coalition’s overall position had weakened – the poll showed Labor in an election-winning position with 53% of the two-party-preferred vote compared with the Coalition’s 47%. And Tony Abbott is seen as the best leader of the Liberal party by only 18%, compared with Malcolm Turnbull, preferred by 31%.
Any other mooted future Liberal leaders trail a long way behind – the treasurer, Joe Hockey, is preferred by 6%, Julie Bishop by 1% and Christopher Pyne by less than 1% of respondents.
The government has struggled to sell a budget that included many cuts and reductions in expected funding increases, wholesale reforms to the higher education system and major changes to the treatment of the young unemployed. Ministers faced public protests and themselves confused key policy measures.
Abbott, who has now departed for a week-long overseas trip, and Hockey have told the backbench that voters will eventually understand the “hard decisions” are necessary in the interests of fiscal repair.
But the Essential poll shows voters are in fact more convinced than ever that key budget decisions are wrong.
Fifty-seven per cent of voters said they would support blocking funding cuts for university courses and 47% supported blocking cuts to the ABC. The most popular budget measure was the 2% deficit levy on those earning more than $180,000, which 73% thought the opposition parties should vote for. Cuts to foreign aid were backed by 65%.
Voters still think the Liberal party is the best at handling the economy (41% compared with 28% preferring Labor), interest rates, the war on terrorism and asylum policy but its lead over Labor has fallen in each category. The Labor party is still chosen as best to handle education (43% compared with 28% preferring the Coalition), health, jobs, the protection of local industries and a fair industrial relations system, and has strengthened its lead in each category.