By Peter Lewis and Jackie Woods
It says much about modern politics that the spectacle of the leaders of the major parties reaching out across dispatch box with a bipartisan approach to the threat of terrorism seems so novel.As Canberra goes into lockdown over terrorism threats, voters remain deeply suspicious of our major political parties and their motivations, write Peter Lewis and Jackie Woods.
One year out from the most fractious period in recent political history, where public debate descended into a mud wrestle, the public is being asked to give government more powers to thwart the terror risk.
But this week's Essential Report shows that as Canberra goes into lockdown, voters remain deeply suspicious of our major political parties and their motivations.
There was a time when bipartisanship on major issues was part and parcel of political life: think Fraser and the boat people, Howard and the dollar float, Beazley and gun laws.
Not so 21st century politics, where total opposition became an art form through Latham's war on the elites, the union campaign against WorkChoices, reaching its crescendo with Abbott's war on just about everything.
The problem our leaders face today as they propose laws that shift power from the individual to the state is that they do so at a time when trust in government and public institutions is severely diminished.
This week's Essential Report illustrates the conundrum. We support sending military personnel to Iraq (52-34), but we recognise it will make the situation in Australia less safe (51-13).
In normal circumstances this is where our leaders would step in and reassure a tentative public we could trust them to take tough measures in our best interests.
But a look at the standing of the major parties' political brands 12 months after the 2013 election shows they are still tarnished in the public mind.
Q. Which statements do you feel fit the Liberal Party?
| 19 Aug, 2013 | 23 Sep, 2014 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Will promise to do anything to win votes | 65% | 69% | +4 |
| Too close to the big corporate and financial interests | 60% | 65% | +5 |
| Out of touch with ordinary people | 58% | 63% | +5 |
| Have a vision for the future | 51% | 49% | -2 |
| Clear about what they stand for | 45% | 46% | +1 |
| Understands the problems facing Australia | 48% | 44% | -4 |
| Moderate | 48% | 44% | -4 |
| Divided | 31% | 40% | +9 |
| Extreme | 39% | 40% | +1 |
| Have good policies | 38% | 39% | +1 |
| Has a good team of leaders | 36% | 38% | +2 |
| Looks after the interests of working people | 36% | 31% | -5 |
| Trustworthy | 30% | 28% | -2 |
| Keeps its promises | 32% | 26% | -6 |
For the Liberal Party that campaigned on a mix of truth and competence, 12 months in power has taken lustre off the brand. The big movements are at either end of the scale - seen as closer than ever to big business, less trustworthy and less likely to keep their promises.
Twelve months after being banished from power the news is not much better for Labor.
Q. Which statements do you feel fit the Labor Party?
| 19 Aug, 2013 | 23 Sep, 2014 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Will promise to do anything to win votes | 65% | 62% | -3 |
| Divided | 66% | 54% | -12 |
| Looks after the interests of working people | 53% | 54% | +1 |
| Moderate | 48% | 54% | +6 |
| Out of touch with ordinary people | 51% | 51% | - |
| Understands the problems facing Australia | 50% | 46% | -4 |
| Have good policies | 46% | 42% | -4 |
| Have a vision for the future | 49% | 42% | -7 |
| Clear about what they stand for | 38% | 36% | -2 |
| Too close to the big corporate and financial interests | 31% | 36% | +5 |
| Has a good team of leaders | 36% | 33% | -3 |
| Trustworthy | 30% | 30% | - |
| Keeps its promises | 27% | 29% | +2 |
| Extreme | 34% | 27% | -7 |
For Labor, opposition has started to dispel the impressions of being divided and extreme, but there has also been a sharp turnaround in the indicators around policies and vision for the future. And as with the Coalition, trust and faith they will keep promises remain running sores.
Both of the parties score high on "will do anything to win votes" and poorly on "keeps it promises".
And there's the rub for the bipartisan effort - on either side people are sceptical about the parties and their motivations, creating a public mindset where the sector of "politics" is a problem rather than a solution.
In this context the winding back of civil liberties becomes a hard sell: we are not only dubious about the messenger, we are not disposed to giving them more powers.
In many ways the politicians are reaping what they have sown by spending so long down in the muck.
The question for both parties is whether the current national security effort is sufficient to put that cynicism to rest, or conversely whether that effort is brought undone by public mistrust.
The survey was conducted online from September 19-22, 2014 and is based on 1013 respondents.
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