Australian Government, EMC, Essential Report, Greens, Julian Assange, Labor, Liberal, Wikileaks, Wikileaks material
Q. The online organisation Wikileaks, which is headed by the Australian Julian Assange, has released diplomatic material leaked to it by an American source. It has also provided this material to other media which have also published information about the leaks. Do you approve or disapprove of Wikileaks and media outlets releasing this material?
| Total | Vote Labor | Vote Lib/Nat | Vote Greens | |
| Total approve | 53% | 55% | 51% | 80% |
| Total disapprove | 25% | 30% | 30% | 5% |
| Strongly approve | 20% | 21% | 17% | 35% |
| Approve | 33% | 34% | 34% | 45% |
| Disapprove | 14% | 16% | 18% | 3% |
| Strongly disapprove | 11% | 14% | 12% | 2% |
| Don’t know | 22% | 16% | 19% | 15% |
53% approve Wikileaks and other media outlets releasing leaked US diplomatic material and 25% disapprove – 22% do not have an opinion. There was majority approval from supporters of each major party.
There was also majority approval from all age groups – aged under 35 54% approve/17% disapprove, aged 35-54 51% approve/26% disapprove, aged 55+ 56% apperove/34% disapprove.
Australian Government, EMC, Essential Report, Greens, Julia Gillard, Julian Assange, Labor, Liberal, Wikileaks, Wikileaks material
Q. The Australian Government has condemned the release of the Wikileaks material and the Prime Minister Julia Gillard has called it “grossly irresponsible” and “illegal”. Do you approve or disapprove of the response of the Prime Minister and the Australian Government to the publication of the Wikileaks material?
| Total | Vote Labor | Vote Lib/Nat | Vote Greens | |
| Total approve | 32% | 45% | 28% | 17% |
| Total disapprove | 46% | 38% | 54% | 66% |
| Strongly approve | 11% | 18% | 8% | 1% |
| Approve | 21% | 27% | 20% | 16% |
| Disapprove | 27% | 24% | 31% | 32% |
| Strongly disapprove | 19% | 14% | 23% | 34% |
| Don’t know | 21% | 17% | 17% | 17% |
46% disapprove of the Australian Government’s response to the publication of the Wikileaks material and 32% approve – 21% have no opinion. A majority of Coalition (54%) and Greens voters (66%) disapproved while Labor voters were more likely to approve (45%/38%).