Almost half of voters support revising the stage-three tax cuts to help low- and middle-income earners while only about one in five believe the plan should go ahead unchanged in July.
That is the result of the Guardian Essential poll of 1,201 voters, which provides a boost for the Albanese government’s plan to reform the tax package, finding only 22% of respondents agreed the previously legislated cuts should be left untouched.
Essential asked voters last week about their commitment to the stage-three plan legislated by the Coalition with Labor support in 2019.
Respondents were given a detailed description of the original stage-three plan, including that “all income earned between $45,001 and $200,000 will be taxed at 30%” and that as a result a person earning $200,000 would get a $9,075 cut while someone earning $60,000 “will only receive a tax reduction of $375 a year”.
The poll found 47% of voters said “the tax changes should be revised so they mostly benefit those on low and middle incomes”, up five points from November.
A further 19% said tax cuts for those earning less than $200,000 should go ahead while those earning more should have to wait until “economic conditions improve”.
About 13% said “the tax changes should not go ahead at all”.
Voters were polled from Wednesday to the weekend, a period covering when details of the new Labor plan leaked out of the cabinet and caucus and after it was announced by the prime minister at the National Press Club on Thursday.
However, respondents were not asked about the details of Labor’s proposal, which delivers bigger savings to all taxpayers earning less than $146,486 and doubles tax relief for those on the average income, while roughly halving the value of tax cuts for those earning $190,000 and above. The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, said Labor has broken an election commitment to keep the stage-three plan and should take its new package to an election.
In separate research, the Centre for Policy Development (CPD) has found that the rising cost of living is changing Australians’ priorities of what they want from government.
Essential polling for CPD in December found 33% of Australians now view the government’s primary role as ensuring a decent standard of living, a significant rise from 17% in 2021.
The biggest uptick has occurred since February 2022, during the horror March 2022 quarter when inflation rose by 2.1% and began a cycle of 13 interest rate rises.
The CPD chief executive, Andrew Hudson, said “Australians want their government to be involved in ensuring … that they have a job, can afford a home, can support a family”.
“CPD’s survey reveals Australians are not content with government being a hands-off supervisor or regulator.”
On Thursday Anthony Albanese told the National Press Club that although the government had changed its position on stage-three tax cuts, it had done so for the “right reasons”.
“When low- and middle-income earners are saying that they’re under financial pressure, we have a responsibility to do something about it,” the prime minister said.
In the fortnightly Essential poll, respondents were feeling slightly better about their personal finances over summer, with 38% describing themselves as “secure” because they are “able to pay bills and usually have money spare for savings or buying luxuries”, up seven points.
The number of people describing themselves as “struggling a bit” was down by four points to 39% and “in serious difficulty” down two points to 12%. Just one in 10 (11%) described their financial situation as “comfortable”.
The Essential poll found that two-thirds of respondents (67%) now say Australia should “stay out” of the Israel-Palestine conflict “entirely”, up six points since November.
The proportion of those who want active assistance to Palestine is down five points to 16% and active support to Israel down one point to 17%.
Respondents were split down the middle about whether the ABC is independent and unbiased: 39% said yes, 39% said no and 22% did not know.
Essential found that after the rejection of the Indigenous voice referendum, people were increasingly unsure about the way forward for Australia becoming a republic.
Support for a republic fell to 42%, down one point since September 2022, and opposition was down two points to 35%. The biggest movement was in those who were unsure if we should have an Australian head of state, with almost a quarter (23%) unsure, up four points.
Support for keeping Australia Day on 26 January firmed this month, with those who “do not support a separate date” up to 40% from 33% in January 2023. Just 18% “support a separate day to replace Australia Day” and a further 31% support a compromise of supporting “a separate day and keeping Australia Day”.
