SCOTT & DAN WHO?

Half of Geelong residents surveyed can’t name the Premier and almost half don’t know who the Prime Minister is.

LESS than half of Geelong’s residents can name the state’s Premier, according to a Geelong Advertiser survey, and only 58 per cent know who the Prime Minister is. GINA CERASIOTIS reports.

AUSTRALIA has churned through seven prime ministers in little more than a decade, so it can be hard to keep up with the changing of the guard. But, despite the ongoing shenanigans in Canberra, a street poll reveals the more settled position of Victorian Premier is harder to identify. The Geelong Advertiser toured the CBD recently to pose three political questions. Scott Morrison was only identified by 42 out of the 72 survey respondents as the country’s prime minister. Five people plumped for recently deposed PM Malcolm Turnbull, while 19 were unsure. One of those who didn’t know was Drysdale’s Jarrod O’Malley, who cited a frustration with the revolving leadership as a reason for losing interest in federal politics.

“Basically, once the Turnbull government shake-up started I said ‘that’s enough’ and walked away from it,” he said.

Rihannon Stockdale, 20, was similarly confused about who was leading the Federal and Victorian governments.

“I don’t really pay attention, I knew Malcolm (Turnbull) was prime minister but I just lost track,” she said.

Among the more bizarre answers were Kevin Rudd, John Howard and US president Donald Trump.

At a state level, only half of the 69 respondents were able to correctly identify Labor’s Daniel Andrews as the Victorian Premier.

Thirty said they did not know, with others saying Opposition Leader Matthew Guy, former Geelong mayor Darryn Lyons and federal Corangamite MP Sarah Henderson.

Dr Rosalyn Black, from Deakin University’s Research for Educational Impact centre, has found Australian young people were negatively portrayed as being politically alienated and apathetic.

However she said most young people took part in alternative forms of civic discourse, opting for cause-based or issue-based politics and local engagement.

“There is a desire among many young people to make an active contribution and to have their voices and actions taken seriously by those in power,” she said.

“But negative attitudes towards young people’s civic engagement are devaluing the scope of their contribution – their desire to take part is being treated tokenistically and dismissed.”

Difficulty in identifying leaders is not restricted to Geelong.

Federal polls have previously shown that just a third of Australians can identify England’s as the country’s head of state.

An Essential Report, released in May, revealed that 30 per cent were not far off, when they chose the Queen’s representative in Australia.

“Basically, once the Turnbull government shake-up started I said ‘that’s enough’ and walked away from it.”