Seismic shift in voters' views on best party to handle key issues

Historically, the Liberal-National parties improvement is even more impressive.

In September 1994, the Coalition parties scored just 23 per cent support among voters compared to the Keating Government's 44 per cent. So in just over 10 years, the Coalition parties have improved their performance by 12 percent while the ALP has gone backwards 2 percent.

On national security, the ALP's appalling position in the post September 11, 2001 environment continues with only 21 per cent of voters say they would be best to handle it compared to the Liberal-National parties at 57 per cent. Notably, in the 9 months since June 2004 to February 2005, the Liberal-National parties rating improved 7 percent from 50 per cent and the ALP dropped 5 percent from 26 per cent.

Labor's desperate position is also reflected in polling on the economy and related issues.

In February 2005, the Liberal-National Government scored an impressive 60 per cent to 20 per cent for the Labor Opposition. Compare this to the results on polls taken in February and March 1990 when the ALP led by 37 per cent to 33 per cent and 37 per cent to 31 per cent respectively.

Sobering indeed that since the height of the Hawke-Keating reforms the ALP has dropped 18 per cent while the Liberal-National parties has risen 31 per cent in the area of the economy and related issues.

On taxation, Labor was considered the best party to handle the issue by 39 per cent of voters compared to 30 per cent voters for the Liberal-National parties in September 1994. By June 2004, the Liberal-National parties has risen to 41 per cent and the ALP dropped to 34 per cent.

On interest rates, even during and after the high interest rates in the 1980s and 1990s, the ALP performed better than today when voters were asked who can handle the issue best.

Their best performance on this measure in September 1994 was 40 per cent to the Liberal-National parties 28 per cent. By February 2002, the Liberal-National parties had dramatically risen to 52 per cent and the ALP plummeted to just 19 per cent voters support - a 24 per cent turn around for the Coalition parties and a 21 per cent collapse for the ALP.

The results on inflation are much the same.

In July 1992, just prior to the Keating election victory the ALP was considered the best party to handle inflation by 33 per cent of voters and 34 per cent for the Coalition parties. In September 1994, after Keating's historic win, 40 per cent of voters said the new Government was best to handle inflation compared to 29 per cent for the Liberal-National parties. But by June 2004, the Liberal-National parties were considered the best to handle inflation by 52 per cent of voters compared to 22 per cent saying the ALP was better.

Again in a little over 10 years the Liberal-National parties have improved by 23 per cent and the ALP had dropped by 18 per cent.

As Springboard Australia noted in our July 2004 newsletter in the lead up to last year's poll, John Howard and his Government have been working successfully at minimising their negatives and improving votes perceptions on the Government's management of key issues.

These figures and analysis demonstrates that this has not just been a recent phenomenon.

Critically, it has more than dramatically shifted voters' perceptions, in many cases it has reversed previously held views.