While there's some support for the idea that metadata is a useful intelligence tool, more voters take the view that security is being used as a figleaf for the invasion of privacy, write Peter Lewis and Jackie Woods.

Meta what? The Federal Government appears to have implemented a cunning reverse public information strategy around its policy position on the collection of metadata. The more they try and explain it, the less clear it becomes. Envelopes in the internet? Who even knew.

The clear lack of technical understanding shining through from the Government frontbench didn't stop them latching on to international events to pitch a half-baked proposal for the retention of phone and internet records as an anti-terrorist measure.

But this week's Essential Report shows voters are cynical about the bow being drawn, and don't trust the government and telecommunications agencies to safeguard the data they collect (whatever that is).

History shows Australians are sensitive about trusting the government with their personal information. Back in the 80s, the Hawke government's Australia Card proposal, meant to amalgamate various forms of ID and manage all our interactions with the government, was howled down and finally abandoned. That was in the dying days of the Cold War when distrust of the state had a deeply ideologically flavour.

Fast forward 30 years, and the Abbott Government is asking us to trust them with access to all our activities on the phone and online. Not the content, they're at pains to say, just the where and who.

Yet trust in government and its institutions is at a low ebb. We've moved on from the Cold War and the threat of the sinister, all-powerful state; but years of bitter one-upmanship, sleaze and political in-fighting has poisoned public attitudes towards Parliament and the competence of those in charge.

In this context, the proposition that we should trust them with our personal records is divisive.

There's not blanket opposition - overall, 39 percent of voters support the basics of the proposal to retain metadata records compared with around half who are opposed.

Coalition voters are more likely to support the proposal (despite its Big Government overtones), but the clearest divide is along age lines.

The younger you are, the more likely you are to oppose government access to records of online activity. These findings are also likely to correlate with young people's disapproval of middle-aged attempts to explain the internet.

But support for the general proposition that these records might be helpful in intelligence and criminal investigation activities falls further away when it comes to whether we trust the people in charge.

While about four in ten voters support the general metadata collection proposition, only about a quarter trust government and telecommunications agencies to manage their personal data appropriately.

The Government's attempt to link metadata collection to a "tough on terrorism routine" also attracts cynicism.

While there's some support for the idea that in a changing world, phone and internet records are a useful intelligence tool, more voters take the view that security is being used as a figleaf for invading the privacy of citizens.

It might well be that the Federal Government has sound reasons for wanting access to metadata records, in whatever form it finally decides on. After all, we have high expectations of the government to protect our personal and national security.

But its effort over the past week suggests there is much work to do in articulating those reasons. As the previous Labor Government can attest, it doesn't matter how sound your policies are if you can't explain them to anyone.

Oh, and one more thing: if we need a Big Brother, does it have to be George Brandis?

The survey was conducted online from the July 8 to August 11, 2014, and is based on 1,004 respondents.

Peter Lewis is a director of Essential Media Communications. View his full profile here. Jackie Woods is a communications consultant at Essential Media Communications. View her full profile here.