So, we Australians don’t trust politicians. Tell us something we don’t know. 

In Tasmania, two weeks ago, Premier David Bartlett released internal government polling in the wake of an Auditor-General’s investigation into whether the money spent on the reports was an improper use of taxpayer's money. The local newspaper, the Hobart Mercury, ran the front page headline “Voter Angst” and bi-line "Lack of trust a telling poll issue".  

Looking at the reports (go here) they contain the type of information that politicians would find useful, but I don’t think that useful. The questions asked the respondents to rate the government's performance on delivering a range of services, and the tendency with this type of question is for people to automatically either expect more or want more. Is the government doing enough on health services? Combating crime? Education? No matter how good the government of the day is, the default response will usually be "no!" 

Do Voters Care If Politicians Lie?