Australian Mining
26 June 2012
A new poll shows most Australians think the mining industry, not the Gillard Government, is responsible for Australia’s strong economy.
The poll, conducted by Galaxy Research for the right-leaning Institute of Public Affairs, asked respondents who they thought was more responsible for Australia’s economy.
The results were overwhelmingly in favour of the mining industry:
- 23 per cent of Australians thought the Gillard Government was more responsible
- 69 per cent of Australians thought the mining industry was more responsible
- 8 per cent did not know
In a statement IPA director James Paterson said the findings aligned with the IPA’s own research.
“Australians are right. IPA research shows that the mining industry has been a massive boost to the Australian economy since the global financial crisis hit in September 2008, growing 17.8% in that time, compared to just 8.3% for the rest of the economy,” he said.
“It’s time politicians treated wealth-creators with the respect they deserve.”
The poll also found a slight majority of Labor voters thought the mining industry was more responsible for the economy than the Gillard Government.
It found 46 per cent of Labor voters said miners deserved credit for the economy, compared to 43 per cent who said the Gillard Government was more responsible.
52 per cent of Greens voters also said the mining industry was more important, compared to 37 per cent who praised the Government.
West Australians were most in favour of the industry, with a resounding 79 per cent thanking the mining sector ahead of the Gillard Government.
The Government has previously expressed strong support for the mining industry, but says its economic management, including the stimulus package during the Global Financial Crisis, is also responsible for Australia’s strong economic position.
“Without Federal Labor’s decisive action, around 200,000 more Australians would be without a job today,” it says.