Economic management the third most influential issue, with most nominating health and hospital investment as priority

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

A new poll has borne out the importance of health during the recent federal election campaign, with 60% of voters in a new Essential poll nominating it as the most important issue influencing their voting intention.



Essential finds the most influential issues during the election were health policies (60% of the sample rated them as very important), Medicare (58%), economic management (53%) and “which party was better for me and my family” (53%).

Health and Medicare featured more prominently for Labor voters than Coalition voters but health policy was also nominated by 50% of Coalition voters as an important issue.

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Voters in the survey were also asked to articulate what they believed should be the priorities for the new government.

Investments in health and hospital services were nominated by 55% of the survey. Other important priorities nominated were investing more in education (31%), ensuring big businesses pay their fair share of tax (29%), cutting spending to reduce the deficit (27%) and doing more to address unemployment (25%).

Two of the key elements of the economic plan Malcolm Turnbull took to voters during the campaign – cutting the company tax and overhauling superannuation concessions – were considered the least important issues (both 4%).

Drilling down further, Coalition voters nominated investing in hospitals and health (49%), cutting spending to reduce the deficit (48%) and ensuring big businesses pay their fair share of tax (29%).

Labor voters nominated investing in hospitals and health (66%), investing more in education (40%) and doing more to address unemployment (28%) as their priorities.

The Coalition remains furious about Labor’s Medicare campaign during the election, which the government has branded a lie, but the new poll underscores the fact concerns about universal healthcare bit with Australian voters of all political stripes during the election period.

The Essential poll has tracked a slight swing back to Labor following the federal election on July 2.

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With the convention season in full swing in the United States, Essential also asked voters for their view about whether Donald Trump would strengthen the bilateral relationship if elected president.

Only 7% of the survey though Trump would improve relations, while 63% of the sample thought relations would be worse.

Twenty four per cent think that the election of Hillary Clinton as US president would make our relationship with the US better and 13% think it would be worse. Fifty four per cent thought it would make no difference.



Just under half the sample thought it was very important to have a close relationship with the United States and 42% thought it was very important to have a close relationship with China. A close relationship with the US was nominated as very important by 59% of Liberal/National voters, 49% of Labor voters and 32% of Greens voters.