New data reveals what matters most to Warringah voters in Federal Election
Global warming and climate change has been identified as the most pressing issue in Warringah in the lead-up to this month’s Federal Election.
Global warming and climate change has been identified as the most pressing issue in Warringah in the lead-up to this month’s Federal Election.
The result is part of ‘The Perfect Candidate’ from the Australian Futures Project, which uses data collected in Roy Morgan surveys last year to identify key issues in each electorate.
Some 47 per cent of registered voters polled in Warringah identified global warming and climate change as one of the three most important issues.
Nationally the issue ranked fourth of the 18 included in the questionnaire.
Improving health services and hospitals was flagged among the most important by 39 per cent of surveyed voters, the second highest total, while open and honest government secured the next highest.
Australian Futures Project executive director Ralph Ashton told news.com.au the “Perfect Candidate” might not be a real person, but they were a real voice of the people.
“Politicians aren’t focused on what Australians really care about. And you can’t blame voters for switching off,” he said.
“The public has stopped listening because the politicians stopped listening. If politicians want to engage with Australians in a meaningful conversation, they need to focus on solutions to the big issues.
“Our intention is to empower Australians to better understand politics, so they can ultimately shift the national conversation from short-term problems to long-term solutions.”
“One of the main reasons I decided to stand was so the electorate could be represented by a member who is for strong climate change action,” Warringah candidate Zali Steggall in response tot he findings. “It’s clear the people of Warringah are ready for someone to truly speak for their values in parliament. For too long they have been neglected by Mr Abbott, who has been the driving force behind Australia’s climate change inaction over the past 15 years.”
Mr Abbott said: “Climate change is an economic issue as well as an environmental well. It is important we have a climate policy which doesn’t put our power prices up or our Aussie jobs at risk. Because in the end my responsibility is to ensure that people’s lives get easier not harder.”
The cost of living was the number one issue in most Australian electorates.
This was most evident in areas such as the western Sydney seat of McMahon and the south east Melbourne seat of Holt where four in every five people flagged it among their three most important issues.
Only in Canberra and the inner-Sydney electorate of Grayndler did it fail to register with 20 per cent of polled voters - where climate change and global warming were among the biggest concerns.
In other key findings one in three people included hospitals and health service as a high priority.
That support was even more pronounced in electorates such as Greenaway (60 per cent), Lyons (57 per cent) and Leichhardt (57 per cent).
The needs of people outside cities garnered the least support among those surveyed.
Just one in 20 people factored it among the most important, although it was among the most important in places such as Parkes (36 per cent) and Wannon (27 per cent).
The Perfect Candidate website, compares each electorate’s priorities with those of the major parties, based on the last three years of data.
Visit theperfectcandidate.org.au.
Warringah Top 10 Issues
Global warming and climate change 47.08
Improving health services and hospitals 38.74
Open and honest government 33.81
Keeping day to day living costs down 23.54
Managing the economy 22.07
Improving education 16.76
Managing immigration and population growth 14.61
Reducing unemployment 14.52
Ageing population 13
Reducing crime and maintaining law and order 12.73
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