After the week Australia has had, it will probably surprise no one that journalists, politicians and talkback radio hosts are the three least trustworthy groups in the country, a new survey shows.
Equally unsurprisingly, perhaps, paramedics and firefighters hold equal first position in the annual Australian Readers Digest Most Trusted Professions’ survey.
Rescue volunteers, nurses, pilots, doctors, pharmacists, veterinarians, air traffic controllers and farmers all round out the top 10 on the list of 50 jobs, indicating that Australians tend to place their faith in carers, protectors and givers.
‘Politicians have never fared well in the trust stakes, but it seems Australians have had a gutful of our current crop,’ Readers Digest editor-in-chief Sue Carney said in a statement.
Pollies have come in at number 49, managing to stay ahead of door-to-door salespeople, rock bottom at 50.
Insurance salespeople, call centre staff, sex workers, real estate agents, talkback radio hosts, journalists, taxi drivers, CEOs, tow-truck drivers and lawyers rounded out the bottom 10.
Neurosurgeon and founder of the Cure for Life Foundation, Charlie Teo, was voted Australia’s most-trusted person, with pioneering burns specialist Dr Fiona Wood and cancer vaccine immunologist Ian Frazer hot on his heels.
Troubled actor Matthew Newton was the nation’s least-trusted, keeping company with politicians Peter Slipper, Craig Thomson, Eddie Obeid, and Kyle Sandilands.
‘It’s official – our faith in our political leaders has now hit rock bottom,’ Ms Carney said.
With the federal election looming, former party leaders Kevin Rudd (70) and Malcolm Turnbull (68) fare better than Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Leader of the Opposition Tony Abbott in the believability stakes.
The prime minister scraped in at 95 while Mr Abbott came in at 75.
Readers Digest magazine commissioned Catalyst Consultancy Research to have a cross-section of 1200 regular Aussies rank 50 different professions.
Source: skynews