Warns refugee activists that they are out of touch and have little chance of winning over the public!
By Timur Matahari/AFP/Getty Images
Meanwhile, in touch with public opinion, the government has proposed a significant decrease in the number of refugees permitted to stay in Australia annually.
From SBS.com (emphasis mine):
An academic says refugee advocates are out of touch with popular opinion, which is overwhelmingly against asylum seekers who arrive by boat.
Professor Andrew Markus is a member of the Scanlon Foundation which has been mapping public opinion on this issue since 2007.
He says asylum seeker advocates need to take notice of the fact that their opinions about asylum seekers are not shared by the majority of Australians.
Professor Andrew Markus from Monash University in Melbourne has researched widely in the areas of immigration and social cohesion.
Public concern for border protection second only to the economy!
He says in one recent survey of around 1000 people, border protection was rated as the second most important issue facing Australia after the economy.
Professor Markus adds that his own analysis suggests border protection is a growing public concern.
Young or old, educated or not so well-educated, less than 20% of those surveyed support boat people being allowed to stay in Australia.
“I’ve done all sorts of analysis by every different demographic you care to find. And one of the very unusual features on the asylum issue, it’s that normally by level of education or by age, there’s a big division. If you’re better educated you’re much more likely to be receptive to cultural diversity. But on the asylum issue you don’t get that just a marginal difference. Similarly young people are much more accepting and again we don’t get that normal split that we would normally get.”
The Scanlon Foundation has released a yearly report on immigration and social cohesion since 2007, based on surveys of around 2000 people.
Its most recent survey found that less than 20 per cent of Australians think asylum seekers arriving by boat should be given permanent residency.
Professor Markus says that’s a reality that refugee advocates can’t ignore.
But, of course they do, just yesterday the Refugee Council of Australia decried the plans by the government to reduce the number of refugees permitted in Australia from 20,000 to 13,750 annually. Imagine the furor in the US (from the resettlement contractors) if Congress said NO! to the President and cut US refugee admission by the same percentage!
Reports of asylum seekers rioting on Manus Island surely don’t help the Refugee Council’s public relations campaign! Nor does news, like that we reported yesterday from multi-culti Blacktown, help their cause. *Update: Asylum seeker dies in Manus Island escape attempt, here.
About the photo! Read all about the “alien-looking” alien transport vessels reportedly purchased by the Australian government, here. It sure looks like they mean business!