Australians want tougher action against terrorism- ANUpoll

While many Australians fear terrorist attacks and a majority are prepared to compromise their individual rights and freedoms in favour of living in security, they have at the same time conflated terrorism with extremism. A new ANUpoll on national security has found Australians believe the government could do more to prevent a terrorist attack in Australia, but also have concerns that Muslims are being singled out for increased surveillance and monitoring. ANUpoll found a large majority (71 per cent) are concerned about the possible rise of Islamist extremism in Australia, although 70 per cent also believe Muslims in Australia should not be subject to additional scrutiny based on their religion. The poll, conducted by The Australian National University (ANU), also found strong support for the government's strict border protection controls, the retention of tele metadata, revoking citizenship for foreign fighters with dual nationalities, and for bans on Australians traveling to conflict areas. However, ANUpoll found a majority (55 per cent) said they were not concerned about being a victim or having a family member as a victim of a future terrorist attack in Australia, while 45 per cent were concerned. "While many Australians fear terrorist attacks and a majority are prepared to compromise their individual rights and freedoms in favour of living in security, they have at the same time conflated terrorism with extremism, and have not been able to make a clear distinction between the two," said co-author Professor Amin Saikal, Director of the ANU Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies.