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  • Jun, 2014

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    Reason for War Against Iraq

    Q. What do you think was the main reason John Howard’s Government joined the war in Iraq? 

     

    Total

     

    Vote Labor

    Vote Lib/Nat

    Vote Greens

    Vote other

     

    April 2013

    They believed Iraq had weapons of mass destruction

    18%

    17%

    24%

    11%

    13%

    18%

    To ensure access to Iraq’s oil

    11%

    14%

    8%

    13%

    14%

    9%

    To support the USA

    53%

    54%

    48%

    59%

    65%

    56%

    To remove Saddam Hussein

    7%

    6%

    11%

    3%

    3%

    7%

    Don’t know

    11%

    10%

    9%

    13%

    5%

    10%

    A majority (53%) thought that the main reason Australia joined the war in Iraq was to support the USA. Only 18% thought the main reason was that they believed Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. These results are not significantly different from those when this question was asked in April last year.

  • Nov, 2011

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    Australian troops in Afghanistan

    Q.  Thinking about the Australian troops in Afghanistan, do you think Australia should –

    25 Oct 2010 21 Mar 2011 29 Aug 2011 Total Vote Labor Vote Lib/Nat Vote Greens
    Increase the number of troops in Afghanistan 10% 5% 4% 3% 3% 4% 3%
    Keep the same number of troops in Afghanistan 30% 30% 26% 22% 21% 29% 11%
    Withdraw our troops from Afghanistan 47% 56% 64% 64% 66% 57% 76%
    Don’t know 14% 9% 7% 11% 10% 10% 10%

    64% (no change) think Australia should withdraw our troops from Afghanistan, 22% (down 4%) think we should maintain troop numbers and 3% (down 1%) think we should increase them.

    Since October last year, support for withdrawal of Australian troops has increased from 47% to 64%. There was majority support for withdrawal by all voting groups – 57% of Lib/Nat voters, 66% Labor and 76% Greens. Support for withdrawal was also similar across age groups but women were more likely than men to support withdrawal of troops (72% to 55%).

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  • Nov, 2010

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    Nothing to Barack about

    First Published on The Drum 16/11/2010

    If the mid-term drubbings and G20 currency fisticuffs with China are not enough, Barack Obama will return home with more bad news: Australians think his nation has lost its mojo.

    While Julia Gillard and entourage were all smiles at the official photo call, they politely chose not to disclose they were representing a nation that thinks the USA is in decline.

    In fact, 60 per cent of all surveyed in this week’s Essential Report see the American Empire’s influence becoming weaker, with just 20 per cent believing the USA’s influence on the world is on the rise.

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