on 19-05-2014 10:21 AM
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.
So don't count your chickens before they hatch, ppl.
on 19-05-2014 12:17 PM
on 19-05-2014 12:31 PM
Tony Abbott has accomplished something that Bill Shorten could not.
He has made Shorten Australia's preferred prime minister.
That is the funniest thing I have read today!
19-05-2014 12:48 PM - edited 19-05-2014 12:49 PM
At least Howards "most unpopular budget" was unpopular because all sectors of the community were targeted and there was more to it than simply taxing voters.
What makes this budget the most unpalatable in our nations history is that it ONLY targeted the vulnerable.
And both Abbott and Hockey have continued with an unashamed arrogance to blame those most affected with stupid comments like "Get a job" "Same price as a middy" and now they can't understand what the fuss is because Australians were "on notice".
It's one thing to deliver an unpopular budget. It's quite another to follow it up with brainless dialogue instead of strategic politicking to sell your stupid policies.
on 19-05-2014 12:49 PM
...."The poll shows that the budget was a landmark moment in political unpopularity"......
Poll: Can Tony Abbott's government recover in time to win the next election?
23%
No
77%
on 19-05-2014 01:02 PM
Howard was never deluded enough to expect Australians to see starving other Australians as something Australians would accept without a fight
on 19-05-2014 01:14 PM
@azureline** wrote:
Tony Abbott has accomplished something that Bill Shorten could not.
He has made Shorten Australia's preferred prime minister.
That is the funniest thing I have read today!
Yes, I like that a lot also.
on 19-05-2014 01:17 PM
Today's Fairfax-Nielsen poll shows that 51 per cent of voters would prefer the Labor leader to be prime minister, over 40 per cent who favour Abbott.
From the link in op.
Not a poll of 12 respondents from CS.
19-05-2014 01:34 PM - edited 19-05-2014 01:35 PM
Tony Abbott pays price for broken promises
...The Prime Minister by contrast has suffered an unprecedented collapse in personal standing after delivering a budget featuring broken promises on taxes, health, education and welfare, with his approval rating dropping by 21 points.
His net approval rating - those who approve of his performance minus those who do not - now sits at minus-28 compared to Mr Shorten who has surged into positive territory on plus 8 per cent.
....More tellingly, 53 per cent said it would not be good for Australia - the first time in the history of the poll that the budget is regarded as actually bad for the country.
on 19-05-2014 01:53 PM
@silverfaun wrote:Rubbish, all the left on here, 12 or so, do not represent anything let alone sensible debate.
This is a full frontal attack on Liberals with total lies and kept alive on here by the left.
Is this a full frontal attack on those you label as the left on here?
Why? Do any of us attack you every day?
Do you consider your tirades against Labor, Gillard, Shorten, Milne, etc to be sensible, rational debate?
on 19-05-2014 02:06 PM
@silverfaun wrote:Rubbish, all the left on here, 12 or so, do not represent anything let alone sensible debate.
This is a full frontal attack on Liberals with total lies and kept alive on here by the left.
Most sensible people understand the budget, understand the problem and understand that this is not Sweden or Denmark socialist welfare countries.
This must be titillating for the left after all they suffered the death of a thousand cuts every day with Rudd and Gillard so they are jumping up and down with glee and spreading the lies.
Time to move on and support poor old Bill, he's just been rolled by the union thugs....AGAIN, now that's scary and something all Australians should be worried about if Labor ever get in again, it will be more of the same ineptitude, lies and incompetence and nobody wants that.
so I thought it would be nice to have some pics, one of the "sensible people" who understand and one of the "scary" Union "thugs".
Ivan G - no 4 on Aus rich list (mining), one of the sensibles.
Scary Union thugs