[8] Whitlam was also frequently criticised by some media, economists and the public for his management of the economy, especially in a time of economic crisis.

[11] ABC political journalist Annabel Crabb stated that it was Whitlam’s "irrepressible curiosity and quest for wisdom in his life"[9] that was so appealing.

[13] At the beginning of the campaign before any major press or debates surrounding the income referendum, public opinion polls revealed that three states (NSW, VIC, and SA) would potentially vote ‘Yes’.

[1] However, as more press was garnered and Whitlam and Snedden began to make their cases for and against, public approval dwindled significantly, and polls suggested that no state was predicted to vote ‘Yes’.

The Age opinion poll was conducted on 6 December 1973 and revealed the following data:[1] This level of opposition to the referendum was a result of many factors.

The referendum was posed at a time when Whitlam’s government was dealing with the Watergate scandal[clarification needed] as well as anxieties surrounding the conflict in Vietnam.

[1] The Sydney Morning Herald stated that incomes were a particularly personal and "hip pocket" issue for Australians, justifying the large degree of hesitation and apprehension around the proposed bill, revealed in numerous public opinion polls.

[2] The Sydney Morning Herald also argued that due to the personal nature of this referendum, The Liberal Party has been using this apprehension to foster a sense of fear, promoting a "When in doubt vote No" campaign.

The leader of the ACTU, Bob Hawke, had significant influence in leading the trade union campaigns against the income referendum.

[17] Many economists, including those at The Australian Economic Review, argued that if the Whitlam government did not step in and take control over incomes and manage this ‘wage-price spiral’, inflation would continue to escalate, and the public would be negatively impacted.

[1] Whitlam’s main impact on issues surrounding income was the implementation of universal healthcare and policies to improve social housing.

Alec Robertson, a political journalist for Tribune, the newspaper for the Communist Party of Australia, stated that this rejection of the referendum would significantly impact Australians on lower wages.

"[20] He believed that if one question had been asked, this would have allowed the government to gain some economic controls to manage inflation as there would have been less confusion and the public would have been less divided.

Holden believed that Whitlam only served to worsen the inflation crisis and ‘wage price spiral’[17] at the time with his economic management.

[23] However, Bruce Hockman, former Chief Economist at the Australian Bureau of Statistics, argues that this indexation policy only ended up "locking in inflation in the long run".