The Resolve Political Monitor surveyed 1611 eligible voters from Wednesday to Sunday,a period that included the censure motion against former prime minister Scott Morrison in parliament as well as the passage of new laws to overhaul workplace rules and establish the National Anti-Corruption Commission.
Albanese holds a significant advantage over Opposition Leader Peter Dutton ahead of the outcome on energy policy,with 37 per cent of respondents naming Albanese and Labor as the best to keep the cost of living down,compared to 24 per cent who named Dutton and the Coalition.
Resolve director Jim Reed said Labor’s lead on managing the cost of living was narrow compared to its gains over the Coalition on other policy issues.
“The gain for Labor on this one since the May track,when they held a lead of two points,is the smallest gain on any positioning in the survey,” he said.
“It remains one of their weakest as well,and I think that reflects the difficulty of actually doing anything meaningful here. It’s certainly a chink in the armour for the government – any government,in fact.”
The concern about energy bills is only part of the wider anxiety in the community about the cost of living,with 51 per cent of respondents in the new survey naming the cost of groceries and other basic shopping as a top issue.
Concern about utility bills was named by 44 per cent,followed by the cost of buying a home,named by 17 per cent. Respondents were asked to choose two options including buying a home,renting a home,utility bills,insurance costs,the cost of running a car,grocery bills and school and university fees.
Federal cabinet ministers have been canvassing options on power prices for more than a month,with a sharp focus on using a tougher code of conduct on gas producers to reduce their prices and,in turn,cut the cost of producing electricity.
“The code of conduct is a good place to start,” Treasurer Jim Chalmers said on October 30,after the federal budget revealed forecasts for higher gas and electricity prices.
With energy companies relying heavily on coal to generate electricity,the federal ministers expanded their options in recent weeks to consider action on coal exports and prices in order to guarantee affordable energy in the domestic market.
The findings in the Resolve Political Monitor showed only 4 per cent of respondents opposed price caps and 17 per cent were undecided,a steady result on a similar question one month earlier.
On the use of taxpayer subsidies for those on low incomes,59 per cent were in favour,13 per cent against and 28 per cent undecided.
“People tend to shy away from taxes – the thinking is that taxes don’t change corporate behaviours in the same way that blunt intervention does,” Reed said.
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