(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Two-thirds of people in Australia believe people convicted of murder should not face the death penalty, according to a poll by Roy Morgan International. 67 per cent of respondents think the punishment for this crime should be imprisonment, down two points since December 2005.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Two-thirds of people in Australia believe people convicted of murder should not face the death penalty, according to a poll by Roy Morgan International. 67 per cent of respondents think the punishment for this crime should be imprisonment, down two points since December 2005.
However, 55 per cent of respondents think Australians arrested on drug trafficking charges in Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Singapore—where the death penalty is the norm in such cases—should not be excused from the punishment.
The last execution in Australian soil was carried out in 1967, and capital punishment was abolished in 1985.
On Oct. 8, Robert McClelland—the opposition’s Australian Labor Party (ALP) foreign affairs spokesman—said an ALP government would campaign against the death penalty across Asia, in coordination with five Asian nations that have abolished the maximum penalty. McClelland said that in order for this to be possible, "At the highest levels, Australia’s public comments about the death penalty must be consistent with policy. (…) This is especially the case if we are going to tactfully and successfully drive a regional abolitionist movement."
Australian prime minister John Howard, leader of the conservative Coalition of Liberals and Nationals, has said he opposes capital punishment at home and for Australians overseas, but supports the death penalty for terrorists.
Polling Data
Next about the penalty for murder. In your opinion, should the penalty for murder be death or imprisonment?
|
Oct. 2007 |
Dec. 2005 |
|
|
Death penalty |
24% |
25% |
|
Imprisonment |
67% |
69% |
|
Can’t say |
9% |
7% |
In Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Singapore and some other countries, the penalty for drug trafficking is death. If an Australian is convicted of trafficking drugs in another country and sentenced to death, in your opinion, should the penalty be carried out or not?
|
Oct. 2007 |
Dec. 2005 |
|
|
Should |
55% |
61% |
|
Should not |
41% |
35% |
|
Can’t say |
4% |
4% |
Source: Roy Morgan International
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 660 Australian voters, conducted on Oct. 10 and Oct. 11, 2007. No margin of error was provided.
