A poll on attitudes to public policy confirms that the economy remains people’s dominant concern, but there is resistance to reforms that would make for a fairer distribution of income and wealth.

A poll by Capital Brief/Demos AU captured a great deal of media attention because it revealed that if an election were held today, One Nation would win more votes than any other party, but Labor would almost certainly hold on to government. Another finding taking people by surprise is that Pauline Hanson’s approval rating is higher than Albanese’s or Taylor’s.

Those findings captured the headlines, but the poll has a great more data on people’s attitudes to policy issues, including the budget. In short, people don’t believe the budget will make housing more affordable or make Australia a fairer place: rather it will hurt the economy and will make it harder for the average Australian. People narrowly approve of ending negative gearing for investment properties, but narrowly disapprove of the CGT changes and a toughening up on trusts.

Those results can be interpreted in at least four ways. Perhaps people have a warm admiration and affection for the one per cent who enjoy Howard’s tax rorts. Perhaps they believe they will make it to the one per cent themselves. Perhaps they have been........

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