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  • Aug, 2012

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    Approval of Recommendations on Asylum Seekers

    Q. An expert panel appointed by the Federal Government has made a number of recommendations for handling asylum seekers arriving in Australia by boat. Do you approve or disapprove of the following recommendations?

     

    Total approve

    Total disapprove

    Strongly approve

    Approve

    Dis-approve

    Strongly disapprove

    Don’t know

    Expanding Australia’s humanitarian program immediately from 13,500 places per year to 20,000

    42%

    46%

    13%

    29%

    20%

    26%

    12%

    Limiting the ways refugees who have arrived by boat can bring their families to Australia

    72%

    18%

    40%

    32%

    11%

    7%

    11%

    Reopening detention facilities in Nauru and Manus Islands

    67%

    18%

    36%

    31%

    11%

    7%

    14%

    Detaining offshore refugees who have arrived by boat for several years

    47%

    39%

    26%

    21%

    22%

    17%

    13%

    Pursuing a people swap deal with Malaysia as the basis for a regional solution

    30%

    47%

    11%

    19%

    22%

    25%

    23%

    Consider turning back boats in the future but only if special conditions are met

    66%

    21%

    35%

    31%

    11%

    10%

    13%

    There was strong majority approval of the recommendations to limit the ways refugees who have arrived by boat can bring their families to Australia (72%), reopen detention facilities in Nauru and Manus Islands (67%) and consider turning back boats (66%). Respondents were a little more in favour of detaining offshore refugees for several years (47% approve/39% disapprove) and divided over expanding Australia’s humanitarian program (42%/46%). 47% disapproved of pursuing a people swap deal with Malaysia as the basis for a regional solution.

    48% of Labor voters and 81% of Greens voters approved expanding Australia’s humanitarian aid but 54% of Liberal/National voters disapproved.

    48% of Labor voters approved pursuing a people swap deal with Malaysia but 59% of Liberal/National voters disapproved.

    45% of Labor voters and 81% of Liberal/National voters approved turning back boats but 56% of Greens voters disapproved.

    Men favoured detaining refugees for several years (58% approve/31% disapprove while women were more likely to be opposed (38% approve/46% disapprove).

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