Today’s Essential Report has the primary vote estimates running 51/34 to the ALP for a two party preferred vote of 61/39. This was from a two week rolling sample of 2096, giving us a MoE a bit over 2.1%.

This week Essential ran a big bag of questions on the economics of the stimulus package.

How concerned are you that you or some member of your immediate family will lose their job in the next year or so: very concerned, somewhat concerned, or not at all concerned?

How confident are you that the Australian economy can withstand the current global financial crisis?

On the cross-tabs Essential says:

74% of Labor voters are very confident/quite confident that the Australian economy can withstand the current global financial crisis, compared with 48% of Coalition voters that are very confident/quite confident.

Do you strongly approve, approve, disapprove or strongly disapprove of the Government’s performance in regard to the global financial crisis?


Do you strongly approve, approve, disapprove or strongly disapprove of the Opposition’s performance in regard to the global financial crisis?

Who do you trust more to handle the economy during the financial crisis?

On the cross-tabs Essential reports:

Respondents aged 50 years and over were more likely to trust Malcolm Turnbull and the Liberal Party (31%) as were respondents earning $1600 or more per week (35%).

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says it is absolutely necessary to undertake the expenditures contained in his Stimulus Package to re-invigorate Australia’s economy and prevent any loss of jobs. Liberal Leader Malcolm Turnbull says that while we must take action, some of the expenditures that the Rudd Government proposes are unnecessary and wasteful. Which view do you agree with most?

On the cross-tabs Essential reports:

Support for Turnbull’s view is most evident amongst older people (42% of those 50 years and over) and Coalition voters (73%).

Do you support or oppose the following parts of the Government’s latest economic stimulus package?

This is a thumbnail image, click it to expand.

On the cross-tabs, Essential reports:

Labor voters were most likely to support $14.7 billion for school building construction and maintenance (93% strongly support/support).

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People on incomes of less than $600 per week were most likely to support $6.6 billion for public and community housing (81% strongly support/support).

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85% of Labor voters and 81% of Green voters strongly support/support $6.6 billion of the stimulus package being directed at public and community housing.

Finally, there’s a good old fashioned shitstirrer question 😀

Who do you think would make the better leader of the Opposition, Malcolm Turnbull or Peter Costello?

Worth noting on the cross-tabs is:

Coalition voters favoured Costello over Turnbull – 46% to 36%. Labor voters also favoured Costello over Turnbull – 37% to 22%.

All up this is great set of questions with some seriously meaty consequences – we’ll run through them tomorrow.

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