Survey says people concerned about foreign ownership
5th September, 2012
Wide Bay’s Community Survey 2012 has found that 90% of respondents are concerned about the level of foreign ownership of Australian land and 89% are concerned about the level of foreign ownership of Australian companies.The survey, undertaken by Federal Member for Wide Bay, Warren Truss, asked more than 100 questions and more then 4,100 people across the electorate responded to the questionnaire.
“Only 7% of participants in the survey said they were not concerned about the level of foreign ownership of Australian and land and only 8% said that they were not concerned about the level of foreign ownership of Australian companies,” Mr Truss said.
Opposition to foreign ownership was highest in the Murgon area where 95% of respondents were opposed.
“85% of respondents to the survey said the Government should intervene to prevent foreign takeovers.
“I expect that the level of concern about foreign ownership and foreign takeovers will be even higher in the community after the Gillard Labor Government approved the overseas purchase of Cubbie Station last week,” Mr Truss said.
When responding to questions about migration and population, 58% said that there should be no increase in the number of skilled migrants to Australia, compared with 29% who said there should.
74% of respondents were opposed to an increase to the number of humanitarian and refugee migrants to Australia with only 16% in favour.
Only 24% of people who answered the survey were in support of increasing the number of family sponsored migrants to Australia, whereas 66% said there should not be an increase.
There was very little support for the Government’s proposed Malaysia solution with only 10% in favour of the plan and 81% who were opposed. 64% of survey respondents were in favour of the offshore processing of asylum seekers and 26% were opposed.
82% said that Australia should not spend more on foreign aid, 10% said Australia should and 8% were unsure.
“There is also widespread unease about the adequacy of Australia’s quarantine and border protection measures (58% concerned and 25% not concerned).”
People were also concerned about population growth, with 54% saying there should be a cap placed on Australia’s population (32% against). 32% would like to see a freeze on their local area’s population (54% against) but in Noosa 44% want a local population freeze (44% against).
