Economic, financial matters worry Australians most By Gareth Hutchens Australians believed economic and financial issues were the biggest problem facing the country, a recent poll found.
The poll also showed concerns aboutpolitical leadership have diminished since Malcolm Turnbull became Prime Minister. 
Four weeks before Parliament's first sitting for 2016, the Turnbull government has said it plans to pursue significant reform of trade unions this year, following damning findings by a royal commission.
Treasurer Scott Morrison also plans to announce the government's final position on a controversial element of the Harper review of Australia's competition laws - the misuse of market power provision, called section 46 - by the end of   March.
However, Mr Turnbull will want to keep attention on the economy, after a Roy Morgan poll found 38per cent of Australians are most concerned about "economic and financial issues".
It was the third year in a row that pollrespondents nominated economic and financial issues as their greatest concern.
Australians believe the state of the economy, interest rates, unemployment, the cost of living, and the gap between rich and poor are more concerning than immigration, environmental issues and social problems.
The regular poll is the first conducted since Mr Turnbull became Prime Minister in   September.
Only 8per cent of Australians listed government and leadership from politicians or the Prime Minister as the biggest concern - the lowest for this set of issues since   October 2013 - just after the Abbott government was first elected and still in its honeymoon phase.
It comes as the government's mid-year budget update in   December showed the budget deficit will blow out by another $26.1billion over four years, while an Abbott-Hockey pledge of a strong surplus of 1per cent of GDP by 2023-24 has been quietly shelved.
Growth forecasts have also been downgraded in the fiscal snapshot described as "workmanlike".The Roy Morgan poll, which is due to be repeated within two months, showed the next most important set of domestic issues for Australians is "religion, immigration and human rights", with 16per cent of those polled saying they are of most concern.
Environmental issues, including climate change (10per cent), and social issues such as drug abuse, family breakdown and social apathy (10per cent) rated next most concerning.
Recent focus groups have shown Labor voters are particularly concerned about an increase in the GST.
The Roy Morgan poll found 30per cent of respondents believe "terrorism, wars, security, safety" are the biggest problems facing the world.
Environmental issues were of greatest concern to 21per cent of those polled.
A cross-section of 647 people aged 14 or older were interviewed by telephone on the nights of   October 13 to 15, 2015.
Respondents were asked: "What do you think is the most important problem facing the world today?" and "What do you think is the most important problem facing Australia today?"