(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – The majority of Australians condemn recent comments by opposition leader Tony Abbott suggesting that women should try to preserve their virginity until marriage, according to a poll by Essential Research. 70 per cent of respondents think Abbott should not be giving advice on moral issues related to sex and marriage.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – The majority of Australians condemn recent comments by opposition leader Tony Abbott suggesting that women should try to preserve their virginity until marriage, according to a poll by Essential Research. 70 per cent of respondents think Abbott should not be giving advice on moral issues related to sex and marriage.
Australia held a federal election in November 2007. Final results gave the Australian Labor Party (ALP) 85 seats in the 150-member House of Representatives. ALP leader Kevin Rudd was officially sworn in as prime minister in December, bringing an end to the 11-year tenure of Liberal leader John Howard as head of Australia’s government.
Howard failed to retain his seat in the Bennelong constituency and stepped down as Liberal leader. Since their electoral defeat in 2007, the Liberals have had three different leaders: former defence minister Brendan Nelson, former environment minister Malcolm Turnbull, and former health minister Abbott, who defeated Turnbull in an internal leadership ballot by just one vote in December 2009.
In late January, Abbott said that young women "shouldn’t give themselves away lightly," adding that virginity is "the greatest gift" they can give to someone. Abbott has defended his comments as being directed towards his daughters, not Australian women in general.
Australian deputy prime minister Julia Gillard lambasted the Liberal leader, saying, "These comments will confirm the worst fears of Australian women about Tony Abbott. Australian women don’t want to be told what to do by Tony Abbott. Australian women want to make their own choices and they don’t want to be lectured to by Mr. Abbott."
Polling Data
The Opposition Leader Tony Abbott recently said that he believes women should try to remain virgins until they are married. Do you think Tony Abbott should or should not be giving advice on moral issues like sex and marriage?
|
Should be |
19% |
|
Should not be |
70% |
|
Don’t know |
11% |
Source: Essential Research
Methodology: Online interviews with 1,078 Australian adults, conducted from Jan. 26 to Jan. 29, 2010. No margin of error was provided.
