[Peakoil] Voter fury fuels $2000 car subsidy

[Antony Barry]

 From http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/voter-fury-fuels-2000-car- 
subsidy/2006/08/13/1155407675030.html?from=rss

Voter fury fuels $2000 car subsidy


The Herald/ACNielsen poll, taken from Thursday to Saturday, shows 75  
per cent of voters are dissatisfied with the Government's response to  
the petrol price rises, up 38 points since almost a year ago.

Labor now leads the Coalition by 53 to 47 per cent on two-party- 
preferred votes, up one point on a month ago. The Prime Minister,  
John Howard, has been acutely aware of the impact of petrol prices on  
household budgets, calling it the biggest challenge facing the  
Government.

Moving quickly to head off further anger in the electorate, the  
Government will give a $2000 subsidy to motorists to convert their  
existing cars to the cheaper liquefied petroleum gas. Those with new  
cars will get a $1000 subsidy to convert to LPG.

The measures - which could be announced as early as today - will also  
include programs to encourage the use of alternative power such as  
solar and subsidies for service stations to use more biofuels, such  
as ethanol, to cut petrol prices. This will include funding for  
ethanol bowsers.

The Government will also boost oil exploration.

The new poll contains damaging news for the Government on interest  
rates as well as petrol prices. A substantial majority of voters - 62  
per cent - did not believe the Government's warning that interest  
rates would be higher under a Labor government.

On the Government's crucial rating as the best party to manage the  
economy, it also fell. With 54 per cent support to Labor's 33, the  
Government's rating remains high, but it has dropped by nine points  
since August 2004 and Labor's has risen by five points.

But the poll was not all bad for the Government. The survey of 1411  
people showed 54 per cent with Mr Howard that the petrol price rises  
were "due to overseas forces beyond the Government's control" - even  
while three-quarters suggested they were unhappy with its response.

While most voters believed there would be no difference in interest  
rates if Labor were in government, 27 per cent thought they would be  
higher.

And while Labor increased its lead, the Opposition Leader, Kim  
Beazley, suffered a four-point drop in his approval rating - to 36  
per cent. His disapproval rating rose two points to 53 per cent and  
he fell as preferred prime minister by three points to 35 per cent.  
Among Labor voters, his rating fell to 58 per cent, from 62 last month.

Mr Howard fared much better. After announcing he would remain as  
leader to fight the next election, his approval rating was down but  
only by one point to 51 per cent. His disapproval rating was steady  
at 43 per cent. Among Coalition voters Mr Howard's approval rating is  
88 per cent.

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