Q. Over the last few years, do you think that the threat of terrorism happening in Australia has increased, decreased or stayed much the same?
| Total | Vote Labor | Vote Lib/Nat | Vote Greens | Vote other | Nov
2015 |
Oct
2015 |
Mar 2015 | Sept 2014 | |||
| TOTAL Increased | 73% | 73% | 82% | 57% | 73% | 76% | 75% | 75% | 57% | ||
| TOTAL Decreased | 2% | 2% | 2% | 5% | 2% | 2% | 1% | 2% | 6% | ||
| Increased a lot | 34% | 35% | 39% | 9% | 41% | 42% | 38% | 39% | 22% | ||
| Increased a little | 38% | 38% | 43% | 48% | 32% | 34% | 37% | 36% | 35% | ||
| Stayed about the same | 23% | 25% | 15% | 38% | 25% | 19% | 20% | 20% | 33% | ||
| Decreased a little | 1% | 1% | 1% | 4% | 1% | 1% | 1% | 1% | 3% | ||
| Decreased a lot | 1% | 1% | 1% | 1% | 1% | 1% | <1% | 1% | 3% | ||
| Don’t know | 3% | 1% | 2% | – | 1% | 3% | 3% | 4% | 4% |
Almost three-quarters (73%) of Australians think that the threat of terrorism happening in Australia has increased over the last few years. This figure is consistent with results from March 2015, October 2015 and November 2016. It is substantially higher than September 2014 (prior to the Lindt Café siege).
Again, Greens voters (57%) were less likely that Labor (73%), Lib/Nat (82%) or Other voters (73%) to think that the threat had increased.
Again, older Australians were more likely to think that the threat had increased; 80% of those aged 55+ thought it had increased compared to 72% of those aged 35-54 and 66% of those aged 34 and under.
There were no significant differences based on gender.
Q. Would you support or oppose the following measures?
| TOTAL Support | TOTAL Oppose | Strongly support | Support | Oppose | Strongly oppose | Don’t know | |
| Preventing Australian citizens suspected of fighting in Syria from leaving the country | 64% | 19% | 33% | 31% | 10% | 9% | 18% |
| Preventing dual nationals who are suspected of fighting in Syria from returning to Australia | 81% | 8% | 54% | 27% | 6% | 2% | 12% |
| Allowing the government to monitor phone calls and data of all citizens | 44% | 43% | 20% | 24% | 22% | 21% | 14% |
| Supporting on the ground intervention by western military, including Australia, in Syria | 49% | 29% | 16% | 33% | 19% | 10% | 23% |
| Investing in local programs to help de-radicalise youth | 79% | 9% | 34% | 45% | 6% | 3% | 13% |
The most strong support for anti-terrorism measures was to ‘prevent dual nationals who are suspected of fighting in Syria from returning to Australia’ (81%). This was followed by ‘investing in local programs to help de-radicalise youth’ (79%).
A strong majority (64%) also supported ‘preventing Australian citizens suspected of fighting in Syria from leaving the country’.
Less popular (and supported by under half of Australians) were ‘supporting on the ground intervention by western military, including Australia, in Syria’ (49%) and ‘allowing the government to monitor phone calls and data of all citizens’ (44%).
Support for this measure increases with age; while just 31% of those aged 34 and under support allowing the government to monitor phone calls and data of all citizens, support increases to 44% for those aged 35-54 and 555 for those aged 55+.
Lib/Nat voters (57%) were far more likely to support this measure. Greens voters (15%) were far less likely, and Labor voters (41%) did not differ significantly from the average.
Q. What of these is the biggest threat to international peace and stability?
| Total | Vote Labor | Vote Lib/Nat | Vote Greens | Vote other | ||
| Global warming | 6% | 8% | 4% | 20% | 2% | |
| ISIS and Islamic radicalisation | 42% | 41% | 53% | 16% | 46% | |
| Russian aggression | 5% | 3% | 7% | 3% | 3% | |
| Growing level of inequality | 11% | 13% | 8% | 15% | 14% | |
| Over-population | 9% | 8% | 10% | 8% | 14% | |
| A Trump presidency | 21% | 22% | 16% | 35% | 17% | |
| None of these | 6% | 4% | 2% | 3% | 4% |
Almost half (42%) of Australians consider ‘ISIS and Islamic radicalisation’ to be the biggest threat to international peace and stability (from the list offered).
This was followed by ‘A Trump presidency’, which more than one in five (21%) of Australians consider to be the biggest threat to international peace and stability.
Lib/Nat voters (53%) were more likely than the other voter group to select ‘ISIS and Islamic radicalisation’, while Greens voters were more likely to select ‘A Trump presidency’ (at 35% this was seen by Green voters to be the biggest threat from the list offered). One in five (20%) of Greens voters selected ‘global warming’, far more than any other voting group.
Q. Julian Assange faces extradition from the UK to Sweden for an investigation into sexual assault allegations. In Sweden he will be detained while the investigation continues, and he may be extradited to the United States to face charges relating to WikiLeaks’s release of US diplomatic cables.
Do you think the Australian government has provided appropriate support to Assange given he faces investigation for sexual assault in Sweden and possible extradition to the US?
| Total | Vote Labor | Vote Lib/Nat | Vote Greens | Vote other | July 2012 | |||
| Government have provided appropriate support | 28% | 28% | 36% | 24% | 24% | 22% | ||
| Government have not provided appropriate support | 26% | 33% | 19% | 30% | 36% | 36% | ||
| Don’t know | 46% | 39% | 45% | 46% | 40% | 41% |
When asked whether they thought the Australian government has provided appropriate support to Julian Assange, the largest proportion (46%) of Australians selected ‘don’t know’.
28% said they had provided appropriate support, and almost the same amount said they had not provided appropriate support (26%).
These results are in line with those from July 2012, the last time this question was asked.
Lib/Nat voters were slightly more likely to believe that the Government had provided appropriate support (36%).
Q. The Government plans to re-establish the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC) to address claims of union militancy in the construction industry. The ABCC’s powers included preventing any person from revealing they had been forced to give testimony to the Commission, and overriding a person’s right to silence. Do you support or oppose re-establishing the ABCC?
| Total | Vote Labor | Vote Lib/Nat | Vote Greens | Vote other | Aug 2016 | Apr 2016 | Mar 2016 | Oct 2013 | |||
| TOTAL Support | 36% | 26% | 57% | 22% | 35% | 32% | 35% | 35% | 29% | ||
| TOTAL Oppose | 16% | 23% | 5% | 33% | 17% | 18% | 16% | 17% | 22% | ||
| Strongly support | 16% | 9% | 31% | 4% | 18% | 13% | 17% | 17% | 12% | ||
| Support | 20% | 17% | 26% | 18% | 17% | 19% | 18% | 18% | 17% | ||
| Neither support nor oppose | 24% | 27% | 21% | 28% | 24% | 28% | 23% | 27% | 23% | ||
| Oppose | 8% | 9% | 5% | 16% | 8% | 9% | 8% | 8% | 9% | ||
| Strongly oppose | 8% | 14% | – | 17% | 9% | 9% | 8% | 9% | 13% | ||
| Don’t know | 24% | 24% | 18% | 17% | 23% | 23% | 27% | 22% | 25% |
Just over one in three Australians (36%) support the re-establishing of the ABCC, whilst 16% oppose it. The remaining 48% either ‘neither support or oppose’ (24%) or ‘don’t know’ (24%).
These results are in line with those gathered previously.
Lib/Nat voters (57%) are significantly more likely to support the re-establishing of the ABCC, while Greens (33%) and Labor (23%) voters were more likely to oppose it.
Males (40%) were slightly more likely than females (32%) to support the re-establishing of the ABCC – however females were far more likely to select ‘don’t know’ (32% of females compared to 17% of males).
Q. Compared to other issues the Government needs to address, how important is the issue of re-establishing the ABCC?
| Total | Vote Labor | Vote Lib/Nat | Vote Greens | Vote other | Aug 2016 | Apr 2016 | |||
| TOTAL Important | 39% | 29% | 57% | 29% | 38% | 35% | 34% | ||
| TOTAL not important | 38% | 47% | 25% | 55% | 43% | 40% | 41% | ||
| Very important | 12% | 9% | 19% | 5% | 12% | 9% | 10% | ||
| Somewhat important | 27% | 20% | 38% | 24% | 26% | 26% | 24% | ||
| Not so important | 25% | 26% | 22% | 28% | 27% | 25% | 26% | ||
| Not at all important | 13% | 21% | 3% | 27% | 16% | 15% | 15% | ||
| Don’t know | 24% | 24% | 18% | 16% | 19% | 26% | 26% |
39% of Australians consider the re-establishing of the ABCC to be important compared to the other issues the Government needs to address. 38% consider it to be not important.
These results are not significantly different from those of August and April 2016.
Lib/Nat voters (57%) were more likely to consider it to be important. Labor (47%), Greens (55%) and Other voters (43%) were more likely to consider it to be not important.
Q. If a Federal Election was held today to which party will you probably give your first preference vote? If not sure, which party are you currently leaning toward? If don’t know – Well which party are you currently leaning to?
| Total | Last week
11/10/16 |
2 weeks ago
4/10/16 |
4 weeks ago
20/9/16 |
Election 2 Jul 16 | |||
| Liberal | 34% | 34% | 36% | 34% | |||
| National | 3% | 3% | 3% | 3% | |||
| Total Liberal/National | 37% | 38% | 40% | 37% | 42.0% | ||
| Labor | 37% | 36% | 36% | 37% | 34.7% | ||
| Greens | 11% | 10% | 8% | 10% | 10.2% | ||
| Nick Xenophon Team | 3% | 3% | 3% | 4% | |||
| Pauline Hanson’s One Nation | 5% | 6% | 6% | 6% | |||
| Other/Independent | 6% | 7% | 7% | 7% | 13.1% | ||
| 2 party preferred | |||||||
| Liberal National | 47% | 48% | 49% | 48% | 50.4% | ||
| Labor | 53% | 52% | 51% | 52% | 49.6% |
Sample = 1,775. The data in the above tables comprise 2-week averages derived from the first preference/leaning to voting questions. Respondents who select ‘don’t know’ are not included in the results. The two-party preferred estimate is calculated by distributing the votes of the other parties according to their preferences at the 2016 election.
Q. The Labor Party has announced it will not support a plebiscite on same-sex marriage which means that it will not pass the Senate. What do you think the Government should do about same-sex marriage now?
| Total | Vote Labor | Vote Lib/Nat | Vote Greens | Vote other | ||
| Have a vote in Parliament about allowing same-sex marriage | 55% | 65% | 47% | 82% | 46% | |
| Leave the current policy in place until after the next election | 30% | 19% | 42% | 11% | 46% | |
| Don’t know | 15% | 16% | 11% | 7% | 9% |
The majority of Australians (55%) believe that the government should now hold a vote in Parliament about allowing same-sex marriage.
Just 30% of Australians think the current policy should be left in place until the next election.
Greens voters (82%) are most likely to believe there should be a vote in Parliament, followed by Labor (65%), Lib/Nat (47%) and other voters (46%).
Females (57%) were only slightly more likely than males (53%) to think there should be a vote in Parliament.
Those aged 18-24 (65%) were more likely than the average to think that there should be a vote in Parliament.