More voters now consider law and order a more important issue than climate change according to Monday’s The Australian Financial Review/ Freshwater Strategy poll. Crime and social order have overtaken climate change and the environment as the fifth most important (the top four were dominated by cost-of-living concerns) ahead of a tight federal election to be held no later than May 17. The proportion of people nominating crime and social order as a top priority rose by three percentage points to 26 per cent.

Law and order is the responsibility of state and territory governments which administer the police service, criminal courts and corrections system. Nevertheless, the issue was front-of-mind for more voters when quizzed about their federal voting intentions.