Crime concerns explode across the nation
The rate of Australians alarmed about crime across the country has skyrocketed, while the rate of Victorians who believe their government is on ‘the right track’ has fallen to record lows.
The rate of Australians alarmed about crime across the country has skyrocketed, according to fresh figures from SEC Newgate, while the number of people who cited immigration as a concern has more doubled in the wake of anti-immigration rallies and criticism from within the Coalition over Labor’s alleged mismanagement of the migration system.
Australians’ view of social cohesion also continued to deteriorate, with just 33 per cent of people believing social cohesion was good, very good or excellent – the lowest level in more than a year.
In response to an open question from SECNewgate on what was of concern to them – as opposed to a direct question with multiple choice answers – more than 20 per cent mentioned crime, compared with 17 per cent a month earlier.
SEC Newgate research director Peter Collingridge said as cost-of-living concerns eased – dropping from being mentioned by 68 per cent of people to 62 per cent – other issues had arisen.
“Perceptions of social cohesion in Australian continue to deteriorate, with only a third of Australians rating the current level of cohesion as ‘good’ or better,” he said.
“As cost-of-living concerns continue to ease, concerns with crime continue to rise.”
It follows Sussan Ley declaring earlier this month that Australia was in a “social cohesion crisis” and calling for stronger leadership. “Rallies occurred across Australia, attended by people of goodwill but hijacked by neo-Nazis spouting hate, racism and resorting to politically motivated violence,” the Opposition Leader said in a statement.
“That can never be accepted. Extremism has no place in Australia. We must never import the bitterness of overseas conflicts into our communities.”
Anthony Albanese also said racist sentiment at the rallies did not reflect “the Australian way”.
The SEC Newgate figures also showed 41 per cent of Australians now think the economy will get worse, up from 37 per cent three years ago.
At the same time, only 43 per cent believed it would get better, compared with 47 per cent in 2022.
“Confidence in the economy is fragile,” Mr Collingridge said. “Australians are now equally split as to whether the economy will get worse or better over the long term, as pessimism continues to rise.”
While the proportion of Australians who felt the country was “heading in the right direction” was relatively steady at 41 per cent, the number of people who believed their state was headed in the right direction fell in both NSW and Victoria over the past month.
In NSW, 44 per cent of people responded that the state was on the right track, down from 51 per cent in July.
Victoria comparatively had reached a record low when it came to constituent confidence, with the proportion of those who believed the state was going in the right direction plummeting from 39 to 30 per cent.
Reducing crime was also cited as a national priority at a higher rate in Victoria, with 71 per cent responding that it was, compared to 66 per cent in Queensland, 59 per cent in Western Australia, 58 per cent in South Australia and just 57 per cent in NSW.
The data reflects other polling that captures an unprecedented level of concern around crime in Victoria, with a Roy Morgan survey showing Victorians’ concern had risen more than any state in the nation.
Insurance claims in Victoria over the past 12 months also surged by nearly 60 per cent for car thefts alone, Statistics Australia revealed this month.
Fire bombings of venues involved with the $5bn illegal tobacco trade have also riddled Victoria over the past 18 months, with more than 180 incidents recorded in that period.
A major anti-immigration rally in Melbourne in August saw violent clashes with counter-protesters and the deployment of pepper spray by police.
The rallies – held in all major cities – and other commentary on immigration appeared to have an impact on the sentiment of SEC Newgate respondents, with 16 per cent citing immigration as an issue without being prompted by a direct question in the survey, up from 7 per cent from July.
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