New research from The Australia Institute has found that nearly two thirds of voters in the electorate of Eden-Monaro want the Government’s JobKeeper program extended for some or all industries beyond its current September expiry date.

The Australia Institute commissioned uComms to conduct a survey of 643 residents across the New South Wales federal electorate of Eden-Monaro on the night of 15^th June 2020.

Key findings:

• Two thirds of Eden-Monaro voters (64%) say that JobKeeper should be retained beyond September. 
  • Nearly half of voters (46%) want JobKeeper to be extended for certain industries.
  • One in five voters (18%) want the JobKeeper extension to apply to all industries.
• Just 25% of voters want JobKeeper to end for all businesses in September.

“The economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are profound and will be long lasting,” said Ben Oquist, Executive Director of The Australia Institute.

“Our research shows that there is a strong desire amongst Eden-Monaro voters for the government to extend the JobKeeper program, either for specific industries or for all businesses.

“Like so many communities around Australia, the local economy in Eden-Monaro has been severely hit by both the bushfires of last summer and the COVID-19 pandemic. The economic impacts of those crises will be felt well beyond September and the voters want to see the economic support from this government do the same.”