1 May 2016: On the eve of Malcolm Turnbull's first budget, the level of trust in our politicians and the political process is at its lowest level in 23 years, according to researchers from the University of Canberra's Institute for Governance and Policy Analysis (IGPA).
- The University will hold its traditional NATSEM Budget analysis event on Thursday 5 May, at Parliament House, where the first modelling on the Budget will be released.
More than 1,400 people have contributed to an Ipsos survey, which was designed by the IGPA and the Museum of Australian Democracy (MoAD).
Early findings from the survey show that just 42 per cent of Australians are satisfied with the way our democracy works.
Lead researcher and IGPA director Professor Mark Evans said the declining figures on democratic satisfaction and trust in political institutions and politicians is troubling.
"All Australian political parties should be concerned as this data shows that both sides have presided over a decade of democratic decline," Professor Evans said.
"We found 60 per cent of Australians describe the standards of honesty and integrity in Australia politics as low, and the proportion actually increases with age," he added.
"We had expected to see an improvement in satisfaction levels particularly when we were polling in February 2016, during the Malcolm Turnbull-honeymoon period.
"But what the data shows is that despite Mr Turnbull taking over the Prime Ministership in September, public faith in our political system has continued to decline."
The findings will inform MoAD's next exhibition The Power of Us, due to open in 2017. It will be the sequel to The Power of One exhibition which ran during 2014/15. Additional data are available via IGPA's Policy Space website.
Professor Evans added that tomorrow's Federal Budget will challenge the government on the issue of fairness.
"The characterisation of the 2014 Federal Budget as being unfair has really stuck, and the 2015 Budget, also overseen by then Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Treasurer Joe Hockey, did little to correct the imbalance.
"Mr Turnbull and current Treasurer Scott Morrison are operating in the shadow of those past budgets and we can see there's still pressure on the Government to produce a 'fair' budget."
The University's National Centre for Social and Economic Modelling (NATSEM) will host a post-budget luncheon and analysis on Thursday, 5 May where they will release the first modelling to be done on the 2016 Budget.
"We commence our modelling the moment the budget has been handed down and our researchers will be working around the clock to produce the first analyses of the winners and losers," Professor Evans said.
The NATSEM Budget luncheon panel includes:
- The Hon Josh Frydenberg MP – Minister for Resources, Energy and Northern Australia,
- The Hon Andrew Leigh MP – Shadow Assistant Treasurer,
- Saul Eslake – Chief Economist, Bank of America Merril Lynch,
- Michelle Grattan AO – IGPA Professorial Fellow and Chief Political Correspondent with The Conversation,
- Professor Mark Evans – IGPA Director and Professor of Governance, and
- moderated by ABC journalist and IGPA Professorial Fellow, Virginia Haussegger AM.
NATSEM researchers and modellers will be available at the luncheon event to answer questions on the budget modelling.
WHAT: The NATSEM Budget Luncheon 2016
WHEN: 11:45am-1:30pm Thursday 5 May 2016 (presentation begins at 12:15pm)
WHERE: Theatrette, Parliament House, Canberra