AUSTRALIANS are “bloody frustrated” with politics at the moment, with new research showing trust in the government has fallen to its lowest point in nearly 50 years.

Satisfaction with democracy has also plunged to its lowest level since the 1970s and is a “wake-up call” following the election of Donald Trump, experts warn.

The Australian National University’s latest election study following July’s federal poll showed four out of 10 people were not satisfied with democracy.

That’s the lowest level since the post-Whitlam dismissal period.

Just 26 per cent believed the government could be trusted and only 30 per cent of Australians took a good deal of interest in the latest campaign.

Shadow Minister for Trade and Investment Jason Clare agreed people were angry and "bloody frustrated” at the moment.

media_camera PM Malcolm Turnbull ranked highly in terms of being intelligent and knowledgeable in the ANU survey, but was behind the opposition leader on a score of compassion. Picture: Kym Smith

Mr Clare told Sky News today it was a symptom of poor economic growth since the Global Financial Crisis.

“You see it in Brexit, you see it in the election of Donald Trump and the reasons that people made the decision to cast their votes in favour of Brexit and Donald Trump,” he said.

“I think that people are angry and they’re pretty bloody frustrated with politics at the moment. “Part of that I think is an aftermath of the GFC.

“Governments around the world [are] dealing with higher levels of debt.

“But also people, particularly household budgets ... aren’t as great as they were before.”

Mr Clare said wages were not going up and people were looking to governments to do something about it.

media_camera Shadow Minister for Trade and Investment Jason Clare says people are angry and frustrated with politics at the moment. Picture: Kym Smith

Former Queensland Premier Peter Beattie agreed the two major parties needed to take urgent action, particularly to sort out the budget, or watch their support drain to the minor parties.

“The winner is going to be Pauline Hanson and One Nation, it’s going to be the third parties in this country because that’s what happened in the United States,” he told Sky News.

“The reality is people were sick of both the Republicans and the Democrats and Trump was almost a third-party candidate endorsed by the Republicans, that’s what he really was.”

Former Liberal leader John Hewson told Sky News both parties were “on the nose” because they were seen to be playing politics at the expense of good government.

But Mr Hewson also issued a warning to the public about minor parties.

“These minor parties and independents do not guarantee better government, in fact we’ve see a few years of a very obstructionist government as a result,” he said.

The ANU study shows satisfaction with democracy peaked in 2007, but now Australia ranks in the middle of OECD countries behind the likes of New Zealand, Germany and France.

media_camera Former politicians and academics warn the Trump phenomenon is already stirring in Australia. Picture: AP Photo/Evan Vucci

“What it looks to me like is that you’re seeing the stirrings among the public that has happened in the United States with the election of Trump (and) Brexit in Britain,” lead researcher Professor Ian McAllister said in Canberra on Tuesday.

“It’s not a crisis of democracy but what you’re seeing is the start of something, which has happened overseas and it’s coming here.

“I would have thought this is a wake-up call for political parties.”

Prof McAllister believes a general dissatisfaction with career politicians who renege on commitments and giving high-profile postings to ex-MPs fosters distrust.

“We don’t have rampant corruption in the political system ... but we’ve got a lot of this grey area,” he said, referring to politicians’ perks.

Fellow researcher Jill Sheppard believes the major parties have rested on the laurels of compulsory voting, especially in their use of social media.

“The chickens are coming home to roost,” she said.

The study, released yesterday, confirmed health and Medicare were the top issues for voters in 2016, followed by management of the economy and education.

Immigration and asylum seeker policies were more important than at any time since the 2001 so-called Tampa election, with 56 per cent backing offshore processing.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull was more favourable in the eyes of voters than Bill Shorten, but both failed to get halfway in the survey’s 10-point scale of how much people like the leaders.

No prime minister since Kevin Rudd in the 2007 election has enjoyed a high level of popularity.

Mr Turnbull ranked highly in terms of being intelligent and knowledgeable, but was behind the opposition leader on a score of compassion.

Originally published as Trust in government at 50-year low