An Own Goal, But They Can Recover

[icyfroth]

The poll shows that the budget was a landmark moment in political unpopularity.

''There have only been less popular prime ministers on a handful of occasions''  in the 40-year history of the survey, pollster John Stirton said. Those include when the Whitlam government was embroiled in the notorious  Khemlani loans affair, when Paul Keating broke his ''L-A-W'' promise to deliver tax cuts, and when Julia  Gillard announced the carbon tax"

''The politics of the Australian budget,'' Mills says, ''seem so bad that you  can only conclude that Abbott and Hockey must genuinely believe they are doing  the right thing and will receive the electoral rewards of a booming economy in  2016.''

And it is that timing which explains why Abbott and Hockey are not  panicking. Governments have hit these lows before and recovered to be  re-elected. This poll puts the government behind by 56 per cent to 44 on the  election- deciding measure, the two-party preferred vote.

The Howard government hit this low point in 1998, 2001 and 2004 yet recovered  to win. As Stirton remarks: ''Recovery is always an option, especially when it's  this early in the term.''

This is Abbott's and Hockey's first budget, not their third.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-opinion/an-own-goal-but-the-game-is-far-from-over-2...

So don't count your chickens before they hatch, ppl.

[boris1gary]

the more he talks, the more he digs.....

John Howard 'took a big hit in the polls too' after first budget? Er, no Mr Abbott

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-opinion/john-howard-took-a-big-hit-in-the-polls-too...

[izabsmiling]

Budget 2014: Federal Government suffers post-budget slump in polls

By political correspondent Emma Griffiths

Updated 25 minutes ago

Voter support for Tony Abbott's Coalition government has slumped on the back of last week's federal budget, according to polls published in Fairfax and News Corp papers today.

The Coalition's primary vote has slumped from 40 per cent in early April to 35 per cent - 11 points lower than its vote in the election last September.

And a significant number of voters have switched to the ALP, bringing its primary support up from 34 per cent in April to 40 per cent - a figure not seen against the Labor Party's name in a national poll for years.

On the Prime Minister's performance, Nielsen says just 34 per cent approve of Tony Abbott's efforts - a 10-point slump - while approval of Opposition Leader Bill Shorten's performance is up to 47 per cent.

Mr Abbott's disapproval rating climbed to 62 per cent - 12 points higher than at last month's poll.

*On the budget, 63 per cent of people said it was not fair, and 53 per cent thought it was bad for Australia, against 42 per cent who believed it was good for the country*

"Tony Abbott has just made up this complete and grotesque budget fairytale to say that Australians were on notice before the last election".

"Tony Abbott - you're on notice. If you think you're going to get away with your broken promises and your lies the Australian people will send you a distinctly different message."

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten

Premiers maintain their rage against funding cuts

Mr Abbott's poor poll numbers were published a day after state and territory leaders met in Sydney for emergency talks on $80 billion in budget cuts for schools and hospitals over the next decade.

The leaders say the cuts will begin to affect state budgets from July and are demanding an urgent meeting with the Prime Minister.

Victorian Premier Denis Napthine says his state will lose funding from July 1 for hospitals, preventive health and measures to help pensioners and other concession-card holders.

However, Mr Abbott insists the biggest change is a slowdown in the rate of growth for Commonwealth funding for schools and hospitals from 2017.

I absolutely appreciate that just at the moment the premiers are fighting their corner, as they should. But I've got to fight the nation's corner.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott

The premiers have accused the Abbott Government of trying to "wedge" them into asking for an increase to the rate of the GST - a tax collected by the Commonwealth but distributed to the states.

But Mr Napthine, who faces an election in November, says he will not canvass that option.

"We don't believe that there is any need for an additional GST on Victorians. We don't support an increase in the GST, we don't support a broadening of the base," he told AM.

 http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-05-19/government-support-down-in-latest-polls/5460994

[izabsmiling]

Would any Australian who is in favour of denying Australians under the age of 30 a means to survive for 6 months please come forward ?

[fourandsixpants]

Two amateurs like Tony and Joe using the youth of Australia as punching bags because they think they can is simply bullying.

[silverfaun]

As opposed to Rudd who furiously wrote ALL the time and Gillard who turned her chair around to present her back. The arrogant way Rudd lounged at the box and the sniggers from the Labor hen brigade on the front bench...shall I go on?

[boris1gary]

no recovery any time soon.....

Slap GST on fresh food, says senior coalition MP

A senior Coalition MP has called for the GST to apply to fresh food as rattled colleagues questioned the government's pre-budget political strategy and admitted they have been hit by a wave of voter anger over broken promises, new taxes and cuts in Joe Hockey's first budget.


Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/slap-gst-on-fresh-food-says-senior-coalition-m...

[silverfaun]

more leftist socialist wot if's from the red rags. Wot if's and he's gunna are the fave utterences of shorten and his ilk.

No evidence, no fact, no truth.

If you are going to spray every thread with socialist propaganda then you end up no one reads it, no one cares.

How about a fact ot two on the real truth of what the budget and the measures taken will do for the furure of our country.

[silverfaun]

---

@silverfaun wrote:

more leftist socialist wot if's from the red rags. Wot if's and he's gunna are the fave utterences of shorten and his ilk.

No evidence, no fact, no truth.

If you are going to spray every thread with socialist propaganda then you end up no one reads it, no one cares.

How about a fact ot two on the real truth of what the budget and the measures taken will do for the furure of our country.

---

this is not a reply to icyfroth, the quote has malfunctioned.

[icyfroth]

That's it Faun. No discussion on the huge deficit and how the cuts are designed to bring it back to surplus. Just oh no the ABCs funding is goint to take a hit moan moan moan etc etc.

Did ppl really think we could continue going done the path of unbridled and ill-considered public spending that led us to this huge debt?

No PM that was going to be tough enough take a close look at some of the welfare rorts and cut some of the more wasteful and useless department funding was going to escape the ire of those that have had their gravy train derailed.

Anyone can be popular by making big promises of funding, then leaving the debt behind for someone else to cop the flak.

[boris1gary]

Coalition ridiculed over 'bad policies'

Three measures in the Abbott government's budget have been described as ''crude'' and ''too harsh'' by public policy experts, with one measure in particular being ridiculed for having a ''bush economists' logic''.

The chief executive of the Grattan Institute, John Daley, said on Monday that the Abbott government's controversial $7 medical co-payment plan, its decision to introduce uncapped fees in the university sector, and its work for the dole scheme were bad policies that would not help to fix the structural budget deficit.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/coalition-ridiculed-over-bad-policies-20140519...