Federal Election 2019: Voters negative on Liberal issues

Changes to negative gearing and franking credits won’t decide the majority of votes in today’s election.

As Australians head to polling booths, exclusive YouGov Galaxy polling for The Weekend West showed economic management and climate change were by far the two issues that would decide how West Australians vote. By comparison, franking credits and negative gearing ranked as the election issues least likely to influence voters in Perth’s five marginal seats.

It comes as the final Newspoll of the campaign reveals a half-point gain in support for Labor which now leads the Coalition 51.5 to 48.5 per cent in the two-party vote.

The Coalition’s primary vote is down a point to 38 per cent too, with Labor at 37.

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Prime Minister Scott Morrison spent most of his campaign lobbying that older Australians who had saved for their retirement would be hurt by Labor’s plan to axe cash refunds for excess dividend imputation credits for those who don’t pay income tax.

The PM also has repeatedly argued that Labor’s plan to limit negative gearing to only new housing would hurt property prices.

Yet The West Australian survey found 34 per cent of voters in Stirling rated economic management as the issue most likely to decide their vote at the election. The economy was also the top issue in Pearce (31 per cent), Hasluck (31 per cent) and Swan (29 per cent).

In Cowan, held by Labor’s Anne Aly, climate change was the top issue for 28 per cent of voters, just ahead of economic management (27 per cent).

Climate change was the second-highest issue in the four Liberal-held seats: Swan (27 per cent), Hasluck (27 per cent), Stirling (23 per cent) and Pearce (22 per cent). Health ranked third in all of the polled seats.

By comparison, topics targeted by Mr Morrison throughout the campaign barely registered with the surveyed voters.

Negative gearing was the issue most likely to decide how people vote for just 2 per cent in Pearce and Hasluck. It was also a minor issue in Cowan (one per cent), Stirling (3 per cent) and Swan (6 per cent).

There were similar results for franking credits, ranging from a low of 2 per cent in Swan to a high of 8 per cent in Stirling, and income tax cuts: Stirling (3 per cent), Cowan (5 per cent), Swan (7 per cent), Hasluck (7 per cent) and Pearce (9 per cent). Attorney-General Christian Porter is battling it out with Labor’s Kim Travers to hold Pearce today, with the seat on a margin of 3.7 per cent.

Stirling, on a margin of 6.1 per cent, was vacated by Cabinet minister Michael Keenan and is being contested by Liberal candidate Vince Connelly and Labor’s Melita Markey.

Hasluck is lineball for Liberal minister Ken Wyatt, who is facing a challenge from Labor’s James Martin in the eastern suburbs seat which is held by 2.1 per cent. Swan is also 50-50, with Liberal incumbent Steve Irons looking likely to lose against Hannah Beazley, the daughter of former Labor leader Kim Beazley.