GetUp surveys election issues

The Peninsula GetUp Group has surveyed 70 people on election issues across Woy Woy shopping centres.

Group members Ms Shery Stewart, Ms Robyn Heazlewood and Ms Karin Solondz conducted the surveys and reported these results:

According to the group, 85 per cent of answered "Yes" to the question should multinationals be taxed more to help fund free equal education, Medicare and to stop pension cuts, seven per cent said "No" and eight per cent said "Don't know".

They said 83 per cent supported stopping big company donations to political parties.

Of those asked, 82 per cent agreed that parties should get seats in parliament in accordance with the real percentage of their actual vote.

A total of 72 per cent did not agree with company fossil fuel subsidies, and 69 per cent were prepared to have coal exports stopped if it helped save The Great Barrier Reef.

In their responses, 84 per cent agreed that jobs and growth should be socially and environmentally responsible.

"Only a 44 per cent knew which parties represented them on most of these issues or that the Greens and Labor were the Parties closest to representing the majority views," Ms Solondz said.

According to Ms Solondz, the interpretation of the survey results should be taken with caution as the survey sample size was small and more research was needed to refine the methodology.

However, Ms Solondz said the survey did provide some insight into voter disengagement and sentiments of disempowerment.

Ms Solondz said a more representative voting system was that of New Zealand's, a mixed member proportional representation system, which did not advantage the major parties.

"In New Zealand, every person gets two votes: One for the party of their choice and the other for the member of their choice.

"Seats in parliament are roughly equal to the real percentage of each party's vote and no one's vote goes to another party," Ms Solondz continued.

"In New Zealand as in most democracies, political parties generally have to negotiate and compromise on policy with other parties to get into and stay in power," Ms. Solondz said.

She said that this meant it was harder to go against the will of the majority of the people in areas that were popular such as Medicare and free education, or to cut pensions.

"Major parties cannot claim a mandate on only 30 to 40 per cent of the vote," Ms Solondz said.

Email, 19 Jun 2016

Karin Solondz, Woy Woy