Essential Research: 54-46 to Coalition

This week’s Essential Research poll has Labor recovering the point they lost last week, with the Coalition lead on two-party preferred down from 55-45 to 54-46. However, the primary vote figures suggest there is little in the change: the major parties are steady on 34 per cent for Labor and 48 per cent for the Coalition (although a one-point drop for the Liberals disappears from the Coalition total after rounding), with the Greens up a point to 11 per cent. Other questions find mounting opposition to the contention that the budget should return to surplus at all costs. Seventy-one per cent declared themselves opposed if doing so meant “cutting services and raising taxes”, with only 13 per cent supportive. Fifty-eight per cent said there was no need for the budget to return to surplus so quickly compared with 38 per cent in April, but if the government remains determined, the number who believe it should be paid for by removing tax breaks for high income earners (59 per cent) and increasing taxes for corporations (72 per cent) is up eight and nine points respectively. Only 35 per cent nominated cuts to “middle-class welfare”.

Further evidence of voters’ curiously social democratic bent was furnished by a question in which respondents were asked to indicated whether various parties had benefited from the mining boom: 68 per cent said yes for mining company executives, 48 per cent for shareholders and 42 per cent for foreign companies, against 12 per cent for regional communities and 11 per cent for “all Australians”. There was also an interesting question on the leaders’ performances during Barack Obama’s visit, in light of suggestions that Julia Gillard had been too effusive and Tony Abbott had politicised the occasion. The results suggest much more support for the latter contention than the former: Gillard’s performance was rated good by 38 per cent and poor by 23 per cent, compared with 18 per cent and 30 per cent for Abbott.

Categories: Federal Politics 2010-

4054 Responses

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1. Why does Finns want to know so badly?

   Apple, Because it’s Wednesday and i got Friday On My Mind.

   Also the brother of my friend is also called Apple and he is male.

   by The Finnigans on Nov 30, 2011 at 11:41 pm

2. kezza,

   Cuddle?

   by This little black duck on Nov 30, 2011 at 11:42 pm

3. kezza

   is underprotective= female?

   by gusface on Nov 30, 2011 at 11:42 pm

4. He has to be joking:

   gordongrahamGordon Graham

   a fine return to form for Tony Jones #Lateline #auspol

   2 minutes ago FavoriteRetweetReply

   by Frank Calabrese on Nov 30, 2011 at 11:42 pm

5. Finns,

   Sing us a song.

   by This little black duck on Nov 30, 2011 at 11:43 pm

6. Frankie,

   Thefinnigans TheFinnigans天地有道人无道
   Mr. Sarah Ferguson has flunked big time on #LateLine Bring back Red Kerry #auspol
   13 minutes ago

   by The Finnigans on Nov 30, 2011 at 11:43 pm

7. gordongraham Gordon Graham
   @frankscan65 No. Abbott looked rattled
   Nov 30, 8:44 PM via Twitter for iPad

   In reply to…

   frankscan65 Frank Calabrese
   @gordongraham You have to be kidding.
   Nov 30, 8:42 PM via web

   by Frank Calabrese on Nov 30, 2011 at 11:46 pm

8. Apple, Because it’s Wednesday and i got Friday On My Mind.

   Also the brother of my friend is also called Apple and he is male.

   Oh yes, aren’t we all awaiting friday.

   It’s a bit odd for a man to be called Apple…

   by Apple Blossom on Nov 30, 2011 at 11:46 pm

9. Frank, Jones will be using one of these for his next interview with Abbott:

   http://tinyurl.com/br3xqmn

   by george on Nov 30, 2011 at 11:47 pm

10. Abbott looked rattled

    Abbott waved his rattle?

    by This little black duck on Nov 30, 2011 at 11:47 pm

11. Blossom,

    When are your results?

    by This little black duck on Nov 30, 2011 at 11:48 pm

12. [Frank, Jones will be using one of these for his next interview with Abbott:

    http://tinyurl.com/br3xqmn

    Didn’t look very wet to me??

    by imacca on Nov 30, 2011 at 11:49 pm

13. Well, there was Johnny Appleseed but, then, he was American.

    by This little black duck on Nov 30, 2011 at 11:49 pm

14. Abbott claimed he was being verballed when Jones quoted Robb about saving 70 billion.

    I am rapidly losing all will to live.

    by Son of foro on Nov 30, 2011 at 11:49 pm

15. ducky

    I can tell u a story

    It was a dark and stormy night, the wind whistled and the sea roared
    the first mate said to the captain, “captain, tell me a story”

    and the captain said

    “it was a dark and stormy night……..”

    by gusface on Nov 30, 2011 at 11:50 pm

16. I was never good at word games

    but, hell I powered it in at Diplomacy

    by kezza2 on Nov 30, 2011 at 11:50 pm

17. gordongraham Gordon Graham
    @frankscan65 they would. This is a psychological game and Abbott looked physiologically beaten after that interview
    Nov 30, 8:49 PM via web

    In reply to…

    frankscan65 Frank Calabrese
    @gordongraham The bludgers tell a different story.
    Nov 30, 8:46 PM via web

    by Frank Calabrese on Nov 30, 2011 at 11:50 pm

18. @frankscan65 No. Abbott looked rattled

    So in other words he’s saying Abbott didn’t look rattled.

    Twitter is hopeless sometimes.

    by confessions on Nov 30, 2011 at 11:52 pm

19. Didn’t look very wet to me??

    He doesn’t want to frighten him – he’ll start off with a dry on and move on to wet one later

    by george on Nov 30, 2011 at 11:52 pm

20. gusface,

    Old hat. Snoopy wrote that on top of his kennel.

    h­ttp://tinyurl.com/cdns9k7

    by This little black duck on Nov 30, 2011 at 11:53 pm

21. Ducky,

    Not for a while, I assume the lecturers have to go through moderation and as such. I hope I passed all of mine, because if I didn’t I am going to be angry.

    by Apple Blossom on Nov 30, 2011 at 11:53 pm

22. Jones also let Abbott repeat his bad government schtick completely unchallenged, not one mention of credit ratings or anything else that even vaguely resembled challenging that mindless blabber.

    Contrast that with how he talked all over Albanese last week, including banning him from using ‘noalition’. Personally, I hope never to hear ‘noalition’ again, it’s a shocker, but the double standards are just ridiculous.

    by Son of foro on Nov 30, 2011 at 11:53 pm

23. frank

    my ywitter is buggered

    tweet gordon G

    the only thing rattled was abbotts rattle- soft soft soft interview with a nasty dig at JG at the end

    by gusface on Nov 30, 2011 at 11:53 pm

24. Tom the first and best @ 2267

    There is not enough patronage potential to justify ring rail lines in Melbourne.

    You have evidence of this?

    Better bus services are needed to do the non-raidial as well as much of the local people moving.

    Buses are fine for a short trip but terrible for longer journeys. I really think more use should be made of them for short routes conveying commuters to their local station for longer journeys by train, and of course the local shopping centre etc.

    This sort of thing is best argued over a few beers

    by bemused on Nov 30, 2011 at 11:54 pm

25. kezza,

    Stay with PB. We haz words and We iz game.

    by This little black duck on Nov 30, 2011 at 11:54 pm

26. It’s a bit odd for a man to be called Apple…

    A bloke I knew years ago had a younger cousin (female) whom everyone called Penny; but her real first name was “Pasture”.

    I never asked about it- but later I decided that it was a misguided attempt by her parents to find a unique twist on the hippy name “Field”…

    by Kersebleptes on Nov 30, 2011 at 11:54 pm

27. ducky

    i do remember telling some whacky dog in a flying suit that tale

    he kept asking about the red baron

    by gusface on Nov 30, 2011 at 11:55 pm

28. Blossom,

    I really really do not want to see an angry apple.

    by This little black duck on Nov 30, 2011 at 11:55 pm

29. Lord Justice Leveson has time for one last question, it’s on the internet and journalism.

    Campbell says “you’re right to worry about it” but that we’re at a stage where TV and newspapers are still the most dominant forces in the debate. He says if there was a system of regulation that drives standards up in traditional media, then standards will rise online.

    h­ttp://www.guardian.co.uk/media/blog/2011/nov/30/leveson-inquiry-alastair-campbell-live

    by This little black duck on Nov 30, 2011 at 11:57 pm

30. gordongrahamGordon Graham

    Julia Gillard plans to axe the controversial Gold Pass scheme for former MP's http://bit.ly/tWCkgk #auspol

    3 minutes ago FavoriteRetweetReply

    by Frank Calabrese on Nov 30, 2011 at 11:57 pm

31. but, hell I powered it in at Diplomacy

    I bags turkey

    

    by gusface on Nov 30, 2011 at 11:58 pm

32. AB

    I hope I passed all of mine, because if I didn’t I am going to be angry.

    Woohoo, sounds like you

    PASSED already

    Well fkn done

    by kezza2 on Nov 30, 2011 at 11:58 pm

33. Mr Kaplan is in the poo.

    One hour break.

    by This little black duck on Nov 30, 2011 at 11:58 pm

34. 2323

    The onus is on a lines proponents to provide evidence that there would be enough patronage. Not the other way around.

    There are comparatively few longer non-radial commutes. People tend to work either near where they live or in radially accessible direction.

    by Tom the first and best on Nov 30, 2011 at 11:59 pm

35. @bemused/2323,

    And what? cause the whole pub to go in a punch up mode?

    

    by zoidlord on Dec 1, 2011 at 12:00 am

36. Julia Gillard plans to axe the controversial Gold Pass scheme for former MP’s

    Hope in hell making it retrospective but I hope she does just that.

    That’s worth 2 or 3 points in the polls.

    by This little black duck on Dec 1, 2011 at 12:00 am

37. ducky

    1 hr for a poo

    wtf

    by gusface on Dec 1, 2011 at 12:01 am

38. ducky

    1 hr for a poo

    wtf

    by gusface on Dec 1, 2011 at 12:02 am

39. I don’t know yet if I’ve passed. And no, Ducky, no one would like to see an angry apple.

    by Apple Blossom on Dec 1, 2011 at 12:02 am

40. tony_ryuudragon

    @

    @gordongraham @frankscan65 yes, he did at the start but then he drifted off, I think Jones missed opportunities to really go for him

    20 seconds ago FavoriteRetweetReply

    gordongrahamGordon Graham

    @

    @tony_ryuu @frankscan65 no, I think he's very sensitive about his personal popularity and Jones got to him at the start of the interview

    2 minutes ago

    gordongrahamGordon Graham

    @

    @frankscan65 @StGusface the nasty dig at Gillard at the end made him look even more insecure and desperate

    3 minutes ago

    tony_ryuudragon

    @

    @gordongraham @frankscan65 I think it was more the fear he had of being asked a hard question that rattled him

    4 minutes ago

    by Frank Calabrese on Dec 1, 2011 at 12:02 am

41. Tom the first and best @ 2333

    There are comparatively few longer non-radial commutes. People tend to work either near where they live or in radially accessible direction.

    I wonder how much that is shaped by convenience of travel?
    While-ever radial commutes are so impossibly slow by buses, they will be avoided or people use cars.
    Check out Springvale Road sometime.

    by bemused on Dec 1, 2011 at 12:05 am

42. I think it was more the fear he had of being asked a hard question that rattled him

    Step forward, Prime Minister Abbott!

    by This little black duck on Dec 1, 2011 at 12:05 am

43. Goodnight bludgers.

    by bemused on Dec 1, 2011 at 12:06 am

44. 12.56pm: Robert Jay QC says that there are further concerns about evidence Mark Lewis is due to give this afternoon and that he suspects it won’t be possible to hear from him today.

    Jay also says that Richard Thomas, the former information commissioner, is currently ill and he too may not be able to appear tomorrow.

    Alex Owens, the lead investigator on the ICO’s Operation Motorman report in 2003, is back at 2pm. We’ll be back with a summary shortly.

    Mark Lewis is on this / their arvo. What’s going on?

    by This little black duck on Dec 1, 2011 at 12:08 am

45. http://www.smh.com.au/national/more-refugees-the-lure-for-malaysia-plan-20111130-1o792.html

    by rishane on Dec 1, 2011 at 12:10 am

46. AB

    While we await your results

    The diplomat in me says:

    Hey tradie, what say you:

    by kezza2 on Dec 1, 2011 at 12:11 am

47. ducky

    maybe plod has a vested interest?

    by gusface on Dec 1, 2011 at 12:12 am

48. What a load of bolocks:

    gordongrahamGordon Graham

    @

    @tony_ryuu @frankscan65 no, I think Jones did a very good job in exposing his hollowness on policy

    6 minutes ago FavoriteRetweetReply

    by Frank Calabrese on Dec 1, 2011 at 12:13 am

49. I think I’ve watched too much

    One Hour

    Isn’t the lead actor the same as in Brideshead Revisited?
    Has he just recently passed away??

    by kezza2 on Dec 1, 2011 at 12:14 am

50. Hi bludgers, haven’t been posting much lately, but I was lurking on the weekend and kept out of the latest Kevin Rudd stuff.

    Good thing I missed Tony Jones/Abbott – sounds like it was a non-event.

    by Thornleigh Labor Man on Dec 1, 2011 at 12:16 am