Public trust in governments is at an all-time low, Australian National University finds
By political reporter Stephanie Dalzell
Posted Mon 9 Dec 2019 at 2:53am Monday 9 Dec 2019 at 2:53am Mon 9 Dec 2019 at 2:53am , updated Mon 9 Dec 2019 at 4:19am Monday 9 Dec 2019 at 4:19am Mon 9 Dec 2019 at 4:19am
Voters surveyed believed Scott Morrison to be more popular than his rival Bill Shorten. (ABC News)
abc.net.au/news/australian-election-study-anu-scott-morrison-bill-shorten/11780104
Public trust in government has reached an all-time low, in what has been described as a "wake-up call" to politicians, according to the Australian National University's deep-dive into the 2019 federal poll.
Australians' satisfaction with democracy is the lowest it has been since the Dismissal in 1975, a new study suggests
Public trust in government is also at an all-time low, according to the study
Just over a decade ago, contentment with democracy was at an all-time high
The Australian Election Survey of more than 2,100 Australians has found just 25 per cent believed people in government could be trusted.
The finding is the lowest level of trust since the ANU first began conducting its post-election survey of voters in 1960.
Satisfaction with democracy is also at its lowest level since the constitutional crisis of the 1970s, when then-prime minister Gough Whitlam was sacked.
"I've been studying elections for 40 years, and never have I seen such poor returns for public trust in and satisfaction with democratic institutions," lead researcher Professor Ian McAllister said.
"This is a wake-up call.
"Winning back the people's trust and satisfaction would appear to be one of the most pressing and urgent challenges facing our political leaders and institutions."
Just over a decade ago, in 2007, trust in democracy was at an all-time high.
Labor's Kevin Rudd had just been elected as prime minister, and 86 per cent of Australians were satisfied with the system.
But that trust soon began to wane.
By 2010, only 72 per cent of Australians were content with democracy.
Professor McAllister said the frequency of elections and leadership spills had contributed to that figure plummeting to just 59 per cent in 2019.
"We've had four prime ministers since 2010, and when asked about the most recent change in prime minister we found almost three-quarters of people disapproved of it," he said.
A lack of economic growth and high voter expectations also played a role, he said.
"Part of it at least seems to be that voters are becoming more critical, they have much higher expectations of what political leaders and parties can deliver, and of course when it's not delivered it makes people feel fairly cynical about the whole process."
Economy and tax key for Coalition
The ANU report said the 2019 election was one of the most interesting to analyse in recent decades.
Its preceding years featured the fourth change of a prime minister outside of an election since 2010, a constitutional crisis which caused 17 parliamentarians to stand down and an unpopular Labor leader in Bill Shorten.
The report declared the wide gap in popularity between the two major party leaders, which was canvassed in Labor's wide-ranging election post-mortem, was reflected in voter behaviour at the 2019 poll.
"Voters' lack of trust in Shorten also fed into scepticism about the impact of Labor's economic policies," the report said.
It also noted management of the economy and taxation were key issues that benefited Prime Minister Scott Morrison and the Coalition.
Posted 9 Dec 2019 9 Dec 2019 Mon 9 Dec 2019 at 2:53am , updated 9 Dec 2019 9 Dec 2019 Mon 9 Dec 2019 at 4:19am
Election begins as voters lose faith in politicians
Australians 'disaffected with political class', study shows
Labor's election post-mortem provides warning signs for Albanese