Common Joe just doesn't get it or know what we're talking about.
He instantly gets "death panel" or "fake news." But net neutrality sounds like something fuzzy almost benign.
Add network neutrality legislation and it would be very easy to lobby against: "Turnbull wants you to pay more for Facebook and Twitter"
Most people don't have an understanding of what Quality of Service is.
At least it has a negative connotation to it, while "net neutrality" has not.
I'm guessing it is easier for people to oppose something, than to support something. Opposing something feels more urgent.
For example, Comcast will simply say "we support Open Internet" with the implication that "Open" in this context means "We can do whatever we want with our own lines.", i.e. complete corporate freedom. This deliberately promotes confusion, and then whoever has the most money wins.
In my opinion, the biggest problem is that this topic is relatively more technical than most people are used to understanding, which makes it very difficult to convey the various ramifications without over-simplifying.