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Voters disapprove of raising pension age, Medicare co-payment plans Greens backing secures fuel tax rise, but deficit levy's fate rests with Labor
(36 minutes later)
Voters strongly disapprove of the government’s plans to raise the pension age to 70 and to impose a Medicare co-payment of about $7 a visit to the doctor, but appear much less worried about the “deficit levy” to hit higher income earners. Fuel tax increases are set to become law with support from the Greens, but Labor may decide the fate of the controversial deficit levy on high income earners, as the government prepares to sell its first budget to voters and to its unpredictable new Senate.
As the Abbott government prepares for the difficult task of selling what it describes as a “sharing-the-load” budget on Tuesday, a poll by I-view Omnibus for Guardian Australia reveals raising the pension age to be highly unpopular: it is opposed by 69% of those polled and supported by only 18%, the remainder being uncertain. The Greens leader Christine Milne said her party would back the reintroduction of fuel indexation, but would not support the deficit levy on people earning over $180,000 because it was “just Tony Abbott trying to find a cover for his permanent hit on the poor with a temporary levy on the well-off”.
Labor has attacked the levy as a clear broken promise, but shadow treasurer Chris Bowen has refused to say how Labor will vote on the measure.
A pre-budget poll for Guardian Australia showed voters strongly disapproved of the government’s plans to raise the pension age to 70 and to impose a Medicare co-payment of about $7 a visit to the doctor, but appeared much less worried about the “deficit levy”.
The I-view Omnibus poll reveals raising the pension age to be highly unpopular: it is opposed by 69% of those polled and supported by only 18%, with the remainder uncertain.
The Medicare co-payment is also widely disliked: it is opposed by 57% and supported by just 29%.The Medicare co-payment is also widely disliked: it is opposed by 57% and supported by just 29%.
Shadow treasurer Chris Bowen said on Monday Labor saw the Medicare co-payment as the “number one issue we will fight against” among the measures already leaked. He promised Labor would vote against the move, which represented a “fundamental attack on Medicare”. Bowen said on Monday the Medicare co-payment was the “number one issue we will fight against” among the budget measures already leaked. He promised Labor would vote against the move, which represented a “fundamental attack on Medicare”. Its fate could now be decided by the Palmer United party and other crossbench senators.
Voters are very clear the deficit levy – likely to hit those earning more than $180,000 – is a broken promise, despite the treasurer, Joe Hockey’s attempts to claim the Coalition had only ever pledged not to raise “new” taxes, rather than not to increase the rates of existing ones. Voters are very clear the deficit levy – likely to hit those earning more than $180,000 – is a broken promise, despite the attempts of the treasurer, Joe Hockey to claim the Coalition had only ever pledged not to raise “new” taxes, rather than not to increase the rates of existing ones.
In a pre-budget interview on Sunday, Hockey said he did not accept the budget measures would amount to broken promises “because what you will see on Tuesday night is that taxes will be lower under the Coalition than they would have been if Labor were re-elected”.In a pre-budget interview on Sunday, Hockey said he did not accept the budget measures would amount to broken promises “because what you will see on Tuesday night is that taxes will be lower under the Coalition than they would have been if Labor were re-elected”.
Pressed on the suggestion the government was introducing new taxes, Hockey said: “Don’t assume they are new taxes. We never said that we were going to never change a tax, or alter a tax.”Pressed on the suggestion the government was introducing new taxes, Hockey said: “Don’t assume they are new taxes. We never said that we were going to never change a tax, or alter a tax.”
But the new poll suggests voters aren’t buying that, with 56% saying it is a broken promise and only 19% saying it isn’t. But that does not deter 48% of respondents from saying they approve of the deficit levy, while only 29% oppose it. But the new poll suggests voters aren’t buying that, with 56% saying it is a broken promise and only 19% saying it is not. But that did not deter 48% of respondents from saying they approved of the deficit levy, while only 29% opposed it.
Labor has attacked the levy as a clear broken promise, but Bowen refused to indicate how Labor was going to vote on the measure. Tony Abbott’s pared-back paid parental leave scheme (it will now offer up to $50,000 for six months’ leave rather than $75,000) remains unpopular: 47% of voters said they still opposed the idea and only 34% supported it.
The prime minister, Tony Abbott’s pared-back paid parental leave scheme (it will now offer up to $50,000 for six months’ leave rather than $75,000) remains unpopular: 47% of voters say they still opposed the idea and only 34% support it. And 47% of voters disapproved of likely cuts to the ABC’s budget, with only 31% in favour.
And likely cuts to the ABC’s budget are disapproved by 47% of voters and approved by only 31%. The plan to raise the pension age to 70 by 2035 was most strongly opposed by those more likely to have to work that long: 73% of 30- to 49-year-olds and 73% of 18- to 29-year-olds said they disapproved of it.
The plan to raise the pension age to 70 by 2035 is most strongly opposed by those more likely to have to work that long: 73% of 30- to 49-year-olds and 73% of 18- to 29-year-olds say they disapprove of it. Younger voters were less likely to agree with the deficit levy (38.9%) than older voters (56.9%), but older voters (61.7%) were more likely to oppose the revised paid parental leave plan.
Younger voters are less likely to agree with the deficit levy (38.9%) than older voters (56.9%), but older voters (61.7%) were more likely to oppose the revised paid parental leave plan. Another unpopular measure is the reintroduction of the indexation of petrol excise. It was not included in the poll, but petrol prices have been a hot-button political issue, and were part of the reason former prime minister John Howard froze excise indexation in 2001. Indexation of excise will make only a small difference in the first year it is implemented, but by the third year it will cost the average family about $100 a year.
Another unpopular measure is the reintroduction of the indexation of petrol excise. It is not included in the poll, but petrol prices have been a hot-button political issue, and was part of the reason former prime minister John Howard froze excise indexation in 2001. Indexation of excise will make only a small difference in the first year, but by the third year will cost the average family about $100 a year. The prime minister is framing the budget as a collective national effort to bring the nation’s finances back to surplus and restore the economy to health.
Abbott is framing the budget as a collective national effort to bring the nation’s finances back to surplus and restore the economy to health. “By sharing the load, we lighten the load – and together we can chip away at the debt and deficits that are currently costing Australians $1bn every single month in interest, in dead money,” Abbott said in a YouTube video released on Monday.
“By sharing the load, we lighten the load – and together we can chip away at the debt and deficits that are currently costing Australians $1bn every single month in interest, in dead money,” he said in a YouTube video released on Monday. “While the debt and deficit problem that we face is not of our making, the Coalition government is taking responsibility for getting the budget back on track.” “While the debt and deficit problem that we face is not of our making, the Coalition government is taking responsibility for getting the budget back on track.”
Some of the money saved by the new taxes and co-payments, and by the spending cuts, is being funnelled into the government’s spending priorities, including defence acquisitions, extra spending on roads and the paid parental leave plan.Some of the money saved by the new taxes and co-payments, and by the spending cuts, is being funnelled into the government’s spending priorities, including defence acquisitions, extra spending on roads and the paid parental leave plan.
A total of 1,047 people were surveyed in the I-view Omnibus poll, weighted to the general population by age, gender, location and education.A total of 1,047 people were surveyed in the I-view Omnibus poll, weighted to the general population by age, gender, location and education.
Opposition leader Bill Shorten rallied Labor MPs on Monday ahead of the budget.Opposition leader Bill Shorten rallied Labor MPs on Monday ahead of the budget.
“Never in recent history has a prime minister taken office with so much invested in not breaking promises,” he said. “Tony Abbott deliberately deceived Australians.”“Never in recent history has a prime minister taken office with so much invested in not breaking promises,” he said. “Tony Abbott deliberately deceived Australians.”
Labor’s position may be critical to the passage of the deficit levy; the Greens, the Palmer United party and other crossbenchers in the new Senate are opposed to the idea. Labor’s position may be critical to the passage of the deficit levy, with the Greens, the Palmer United party and other crossbenchers in the new Senate opposed to the idea.
Labor suggested it believed the government might be able to pass it in an appropriation bill, but the clerk of the Senate, Rosemary Laing, told Guardian Australia last week she believed that would be “highly problematic”.Labor suggested it believed the government might be able to pass it in an appropriation bill, but the clerk of the Senate, Rosemary Laing, told Guardian Australia last week she believed that would be “highly problematic”.
After recent outbreaks of backbench criticism over some budget decisions, Abbott had dinner with new MPs on Monday night to reassure them that “by the time they get to the next election, there will be a positive story to tell".