Research company QDOS used to gauge how Victorians viewed political leaders and health figures during lockdowns

Taxpayer-funded research gauged public opinions of chief health officer Brett Sutton, along with Daniel Andrews and other politicians, it can be revealed.

Taxpayer-funded research used to gauge how Premier Daniel Andrews performed during the pandemic was also used to measure community views towards the chief health officer, health ministers and prime minister.

Mr Andrews is under fresh scrutiny over his government’s dealings with research company QDOS after documents were released detailing how focus groups were used to rate his performance in July and August 2020.

This included questions about how the public felt about health messaging, Covid restrictions and the support for the government following the hotel quarantine fiasco.

A government spokeswoman on Wednesday defended the research and said it was used to understand who was the most effective at delivering health messages.

Focus groups asked people their views of chief health officer Brett Sutton’s performance during the pandemic. Picture: Ian Currie

“Including Brett Sutton, Paul Kelly, Greg Hunt, Scott Morrison, Martin Foley and James Merlino when he was Acting Premier – in our efforts to keep the community safe, support our health workers, and encourage people to get vaccinated and save lives during a one in a 100-year pandemic,” she said.

“Programs like this are not unusual in emergency situations, and we expect all levels of government were conducting research to help shape health communications.”

Mr Andrews said the government had needed to get its communication right because it had a difficult message to deliver.

“It’s not about me, it’s about getting the job done,” he said.

“When you’ve got a difficult story to tell, to ask them to do quite extraordinary things, You need to test whether the language you’re using … Is that message getting through?

“If you’re putting it to me that everything we did was in search of popularity I really think that you’re just wrong.”

But Opposition Leader John Pesutto said the polling was a “vanity project”.

“What was this $2m in polling used for? To tell Daniel Andrews that wearing a North Face jacket was popular?” he said.

“Victoria ought to have a reputation for a government that sticks to its principles, the highest principles, that uses taxpayer money for its proper purposes.”

Lockdown polling revealed

Daniel Andrews’ office used taxpayer-funded research to gauge how Victorians viewed his personal performance during the pandemic lockdowns.

Explosive documents revealed that focus groups held in regional and city areas during July and August 2020 were asked how they viewed Mr Andrews’ performance.

Briefing notes and emails also revealed people’s responses to the health messaging and responses to restrictions like the 5km travel restriction.

The polling revelations obtained by the research company QDOS was unearthed in 200 pages of confidential documents released to The Australian after a two-year Freedom of Information battle.

Focus groups held in regional and city areas during July and August 2020 were asked how they viewed Mr Andrews performance. Picture: David Crosling

A QDOS briefing from a focus group held on August 5, 2020 in Colac stated: “Sentiment in these groups was similar to earlier rounds and these people were considerably more likely to jump to the defence of the government and Dan Andrews”.

Another QDOS briefing note of a focus group held on August 4 in Mornington, stated that hotel quarantine had taken some “gloss” off the government.

“People have become less likely to freely offer support for Dan ­Andrews but if he is criticised by one person a bigger number stridently come to his defence.

“We can reasonably conclude that the Government and the ­primary spokesperson, Dan ­Andrews, still have credibility and the confidence …”

A briefing note of a focus group from August 2020 said hotel quarantine had taken some ‘gloss’ off the government. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

Other groups reported constantly that the government was responding to an “unprecedented” challenge.

More than $2 million has been spent on research conducted by a company probing people’s opinions on Covid responses.

However, the findings have largely stayed hidden with much of the research fed back to cabinet which has strict confidentiality clauses.

Briefings revealed that QDOS communicated to the cabinet and Department of premier and Cabinet that Mr Andrews continued to be “highly regarded” by the public despite the ongoing hotel quarantine fiasco.

“Actions taken now reinforce the competence brand already well established, even with the knowledge of poor hotel quarantine,” QDOS said.

In a response to questions put to the government about the secret research a Victorian Government spokesperson said: ‘‘This community feedback helped us understand the most effective health message carriers in our efforts to keep the community safe, support our health workers, and encourage people to get vaccinated and save lives during a one in a 100-year pandemic.’’

Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas defended the government’s decision to poll the Premier’s popularity. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

Critics have previously labelled the research as a misuse of taxpayer money, and that the government has form using public cash for political advantage.

But Health minister Mary-Anne Thomas defended the government’s decision to poll Victorians on their perception of Daniel Andrews during the pandemic.

Ms Thomas said it was “vital” for the government to understand what kind of community messaging would be effective while restrictions and lockdowns were being enforced.

“What we had was once in 100-year event – the Covid pandemic – and it’s vitally important that governments understand where the community is at in terms of its understanding of the pandemic,” Ms Thomas said.

“At no other time in history have we had to get out so many messages so quickly to the Victorian community in order for the community to take the steps necessary to protect themselves, their loved ones and the broader community.”

Ms Thomas refused to say if understanding the Premier’s popularity was “vital” to the government’s work during the pandemic.

“The work that the government undertook … was focused on understanding where the community was at and how it was feeling and responding to Covid so that we could best tailor messages to the community in order to protect the health of community members,” she said.

Originally published as Research company QDOS used to gauge how Victorians viewed political leaders and health figures during lockdowns