Just one-third of voters want a treaty with Indigenous Australians, a truth-telling commission or a legislated Indigenous voice, according to the latest Guardian Essential poll.
The results of the poll of 1,132 voters appear to endorse Anthony Albanese’s decision not to push ahead with a makarrata commission despite funding being set aside for it in the budget – a backdown that was a major focus of Monday’s question time.
More respondents thought that Indigenous health, employment, incarceration and suicide rates were getting worse than those who thought they are getting better; although Indigenous education was perceived as improving.
After the referendum to enshrine an Indigenous voice in the constitution was defeated in October 2023, support for all forms of intervention for Indigenous Australians has been down.
That included: a treaty, for which support was down two points to 35%; a truth-telling commission “to investigate historical and ongoing injustices committed against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people” down three points to 34%; and a non-legislated voice, for which support was down two points to 34%.
But more than half of respondents (59%) said the government should “continue to work with First Nations communities to find solutions to the issues they face”.
Respondents were told that Albanese had described makarrata as a policy of “coming together after conflict, but will not set up a formal commission to negotiate a federal treaty with Indigenous people”.
In a forced-choice question, most (59%) said the government “should not establish a makarrata commission, because the Australian people rejected constitutional change at the 2023 referendum”, compared with 41% who said it “should establish a makarrata commission to negotiate a treaty, as requested in the Uluru statement from the heart”.
In question time on Monday, the Coalition asked Albanese two questions about makarrata, one of which he side-stepped by discussing efforts to close the gap, and another from Peter Dutton which drew the rebuke: “I’m pleased to see the leader of the opposition is focused on cost of living.”
“What we have said on makarrata is that we’ll continue to engage,” he said. “We held a referendum last year, which wasn’t successful.
“And what happens is – you accept that, you accept responsibility for it.”
In Senate question time the new minister for Indigenous Australians, Malarndirri McCarthy, described a makarrata commission as “very difficult” to pursue without bipartisan support.
Asked about a Greens bill for a truth and justice commission, McCarthy said Labor was supportive of a Senate inquiry, but added the government had “learned from the referendum and the pain and hardship that created for First Nations people in this country”.
“We will not endeavour going down that pathway without the support of the opposition,” she said.
Respondents to the Essential poll were asked if the government was good at consulting with various groups. Big business topped the list, with 60% of respondents saying the government was good at consulting them.
This was followed by Indigenous Australians (33%), people with disabilities (27%), older Australians (26%), small business and local communities (25%), “ordinary Australians” (24%) and regional communities (22%).
After the Reserve Bank kept interest rates on hold and suggested rate cuts could be six months away, the poll found voters had a dismal view of the economy, with more than half (56%) expecting global conditions to deteriorate this year.
Two-thirds (67%) responded that they expected the cost of living to get worse in the next 12 months, about one-in-five (22%) said it would “stay about the same” and just one-in-10 (11%) said it would get better.
About half of respondents said wages (55%) and employment (48%) would stay the same in the next year but few – just 16% and 13% respectively – expected these to improve.
