Voters say cost of living should trump climate
The cost of living has surged ahead as Australians’ top worry and, although they still want the federal government to take action on climate change, worries about power prices and energy reliability are on the rise, according to a new report.
Concern about cost of living is at the highest level in the past decade, an Ipsos survey of 1000 Australians between April and June has found, with nearly 70 per cent of respondents selecting it as one of three major issues facing the country, followed by housing (39 per cent) and the economy (33 per cent).
More than 60 per cent of Australians believe climate change is already causing more frequent or extreme bushfires, floods, droughts and storms, according to a new report by Ipsos. Jessica Shapiro
It overtook healthcare as the nation’s No. 1 concern in March 2022, and has steadily risen since then. This comes as federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers earlier this week hinted at a further round of cost-of-living relief if needed, arguing the government’sbumper budget surplus shows there is no need to choose between responsible economic management and compassion.
The environment is sitting just outside the top five issues for Australia, having been the No. 1 concern at the start of 2020, during a terrible summer for bushfires and before the COVID-19 pandemic, and was last in the top five in February 2022.
However, confidence that the energy transition will lead to positive outcomes appears to be slipping. The proportion of Australians who believe that the transition to renewable energy will have a positive impact on cost of living, jobs and reliability of the energy supply has dipped since 2022.
Thirty-six per cent of Australians believe reducing the number of gas and coal-fired power
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