New polling results show voters across Australia and in Tanya Plibersek’s electorate of Sydney want Environment Minister Plibersek to stop approving new coal and gas projects.
Polling commissioned by 350.org and Move Beyond Coal was conducted by Ucomms on the nights of Wednesday September 13 and Thursday September 14.
Two polls were conducted - a national poll of 1641 Australian eligible voters and a poll of 801 eligible voters in the Federal electoral division of Sydney.
The results of the two polls this week show strong support for the government to stop approving new coal and gas and for national environmental laws to take climate change into account.
Key points from the national poll
On national environmental laws taking climate change into account:
- More than two thirds (70%) of voters agree that Australia’s national environmental law should take climate change impacts into account, with a majority of voters (51%) strongly agreeing. Only 1 in four voters (25%) disagreed.
- Support for national environmental laws to take climate change impacts into account was highest from Labor voters (91%), slightly higher than Greens voters (90%).
- A majority (51.7%) of Liberal voters support national environmental laws taking climate change impacts into account.
- Two thirds of undecided voters (65.8%) support national environmental laws taking climate change impacts into account.
- Only 5% of Labor voters disagreed with national environmental laws taking climate change impacts into account.
On approval of new coal and gas projects:
- A majority (55%) of all voters think that Australia should stop approving new coal and gas mines.
- More than three quarters of Labor voters think that Australia should stop approving new coal and gas mines.
- Nearly a third (30%) of Liberal voters think that Australia should stop approving new coal and gas mines.
- A majority (51%) of undecided voters think that Australia should stop approving new coal and gas mines.
On consideration of how greenhouse gas emissions from coal and gas projects could damage Australia’s environment:
- Nearly two thirds (64.5%) agree that greenhouse gas emissions from new coal and gas projects should have their impact on the Australia’s environment considered when the projects are assessed by the Environment Minister.
- More than two thirds of undecided voters (67.5%) agree.
- More than eight out of ten (82.8%) of Labor voters agree only slightly lower than Greens voters (84.2%).
On whether the Albanese government should be doing more to protect the environment and prevent climate change getting worse:
- A majority (61%) of all voters agreed that the Albanese government should be doing more.
- Nearly eight out of ten (78%) of Labor voters agreed that the Albanese government should be doing more.
- Nearly two thirds of undecided voters agreed that the Albanese government should be doing more.
Key points from the Sydney poll:
On national environmental laws taking climate change into account:
- More than eight out of ten voters (81%) agree that Australia’s environmental law should have to take climate change impacts into account.
- More than nine out of ten (95%) Labor voters agree that Australia’s environmental law should have to take climate change impacts into account.
- Nearly eight out of ten (77%) undecided voters agree that Australia’s environmental law should have to take climate change impacts into account.
On approval of new coal and gas projects:
- More than two thirds (68%) of voters think Australia should stop approving new coal and gas mines.
- Eight out of ten (80%) of Labor voters think Australia should stop approving new coal and gas mines.
- More than half of undecided voters (56%) think Australia should stop approving new coal and gas mines.
On consideration of how greenhouse gas emissions from coal and gas projects could damage Australia’s environment:
- Nearly eight out of ten voters (78.6%) agree that the Environment Minister should consider how greenhouse gas emissions from coal and gas projects could damage Australia’s environment.
- Nearly nine out of ten Labor voters (88%) agree that the Environment Minister should consider how greenhouse gas emissions from coal and gas projects could damage Australia’s environment.
- Less than one in ten (8%) of Labor voters disagree.
- Nearly eight out of ten (79%) undecided voters agree that the Environment Minister should consider how greenhouse gas emissions from coal and gas projects could damage Australia’s environment.
- More than half (61%) of voters intending to vote for a candidate other than Liberal, Labor or The Greens agree that the Environment Minister should consider how greenhouse gas emissions from coal and gas projects could damage Australia’s environment.
On whether the Albanese government should be doing more to protect the environment and prevent climate change getting worse:
- Nearly eight out of ten (75%) voters agree that the Albanese government should be doing more to protect the environment and prevent climate change from getting worse.
- More than eight out of ten Labor voters (84%) agree that the Albanese government should be doing more to protect the environment and prevent climate change from getting worse.
- Nearly eight out of ten (78%) of undecided voters agree that the Albanese government should be doing more to protect the environment and prevent climate change from getting worse.
