Most Australians would rather see mining handouts poured into hospitals and schools, a new poll shows.
Surveys of seven federal electorates, including that of newly installed prime minister Malcolm Turnbull, show between 65 and 77 per cent of voters believe mining subsidies should be redirected.
About 72 per cent of voters of Mr Turnbull's Wentworth seat want the change, while 77.1 per cent of Eden Monaro - in regional NSW - also agreed.
North Sydney, the electorate of former treasurer Joe Hockey, ranked the lowest, with 65.2 per cent giving a tick to a redirection.
The ReachTel poll, commissioned by The Australia Institute and conducted over the past three months, followed a national poll in July that showed 78 per cent of voters agreed or strongly agreed that mining subsidies should be dropped for essential service funding.
Institute executive director Ben Oquist said the polling showed Mr Turnbull had an opportunity to embrace reform that would be "popular, good for the budget and the economy".
"Health and education are big job creators, while mining is more capital intensive and produces far fewer jobs per million dollars invested," he said.
Taxpayers stumped up about $7 billion each year in mining and fossil fuel subsidies, he said.
Just over 4300 respondents were asked if they supported or opposed "taking the subsidies that federal and state governments currently give to the mining industry and redirecting them to essential services like hospitals and schools".
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