WorkChoices research cost $1.6m
Mark Davis Political Correspondent, SMH
November 7, 2008
THE Howard government spent $1.6 million in taxpayer funds to survey voters on the hot-button political issue of industrial relations from April last year right up until the election campaign started in October.
The Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations has revealed in its annual report that it contracted the Melbourne market research and polling firm Open Mind Research to carry out the regular surveys.
The research was to help shape the government's second major wave of advertising during the 2007 election year, promoting its changes to its WorkChoices legislation.
The survey results would have also given senior ministers insights into voter sentiment, including the attitudes of electorally important demographic groups, to its industrial relations policies and messages.
The research by Open Mind in 2007 followed $1.8 million in similar taxpayer-funded polling commissioned by the Howard government in late 2005 and early 2006 from market research firm Colmar Brunton. That polling surveyed thousands of voters to track how they were responding to the Government's first $46 million advertising campaign on WorkChoices.
The department's latest disclosures of its consultancy contracts show Open Mind was engaged to carry out the research from April 10, three weeks before the then Prime Minister, John Howard, announced the government was changing WorkChoices to include a "fairness test".
The research contract ran until October 15, the day after Mr Howard called the election.
About Me
- JENNY'S RED NEWS
- Dear Fellow Bloggers, For some time I have thought about starting a left of centre news and commentary service and I have tried to do this by using email. But as some good, but email overloaded friends have suggested, a better way to go may be by blogging. So here it is! Jenny's Red News. My primary interests are left of centre politics and the very important question of how can we get left of centre parties, groups and grouplets in Australia working together more co-operatively. The right of centre predominates politics in this country at the present time, and they are on the march. We on the left of centre need to work together more co-operatively and constructively to put the left of centre agenda out there, for the perusal and consumption of the Australian people. Particular topics that will be reported on and on which comments are welcome are: Industrial relations - Opposition to Workchoices Refugee and Asylum Seekers Human Rights Civil Liberties Opposition to the Welfare to Work Changes Health System Reform Aboriginal Health and Reconciliation Jenny Haines posted by JENNY'S RED NEWS at 12:50 AM 0 comments