Report card on Australia’s relations with the region 2007: Asia-Pacific NGO opinion survey

This paper reports on a survey of Asia Pacific non-governmental organisations (NGOs) conducted over a period of two months from 8 June 2006 by Uniya Jesuit Social Justice Centre in partnership with Griffith Asia Institute. The study seeks to understand how this population perceives Australia, the source of information on Australia, whether these perceptions are changing, and whether these organisations share Australia’s concerns on a number of foreign policy issues. Some questions were based on previous surveys in Australia to ensure comparability. Summary of the findings: There is significant goodwill in the region towards Australia. NGOs generally have ‘positive feelings’ toward Australia and regard Australia as a ‘good international citizen’. While many respondents said their feelings about Australia remained the same in the past year, of those whose feelings have changed, nearly twice as many said their feelings have changed for the worse. Putting Australia on notice, NGOs in the Pacific, ironically the group with the most contact with Australians, have become even more dissatisfied about Australia over the past year compared to their Asian counterparts. Asian and Pacific respondents’ top foreign policy concern is the protection of the global environment. Controlling illegal immigration, combating terrorism, and strengthening their country’s economy are listed among the least important foreign policy goals for the Asia Pacific. Most NGOs disagreed that a close relationship between Australia and the US is positive for their region. NGOs agreed that a close relationship between Australia and China is positive. Australia’s strict immigration laws, its restrictions on temporary working visas, and its harsh policy on asylum seekers are impacting on Australia’s reputation. The quantity and quality of Australian development aid and unfair trade have also been listed as barriers to better relations