WOMEN’S ISSUES RATE HIGHLY IN NEWSPOLL

The last detailed newspoll, published in the Australian on 23 June, 2004 showed an interesting rise in the rating of women’s issues by voters. The poll indicated that in June 2004, 46 per cent of voters (and 55 per cent of women voters) rated “women’s issues” as being very important. This was a significant increase on the 38 per cent (44 per cent women) who rated these issues as being very important back in February. “Women’s issues” were rated ahead of inflation, immigration, industrial relations and Aboriginal and native title issues, but behind Health & Medicare (the Number One issue), Education, National Security, Leadership, Family Issues, the Environment, Welfare and social issues, Taxation, Unemployment, Defence and Interest Rates. Interestingly, while 38 per cent of voters (34 per cent women) said Labor would handles these issues best, 23 per cent (28 per cent women) were “uncommitted”. The government attracted the confidence of 28 per cent of voters (28 per cent women).