Australians are wary about federal government policies on asylum seekers and climate change, but more comfortable with how it manages the country's relationship with China, a new poll shows.
The government received an average score of four out of 10 on its approach to asylum seekers, according to the Lowy Institute's survey of 1001 Australians, and five out of 10 on its climate change policies, Fairfax newspapers say.
The executive director of the Lowy Institute, Michael Wesley, said the survey, taken after the government froze asylum applications from Sri Lanka and Afghanistan, reflected disaffection among voters across the political spectrum.
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Those questioned for the survey, an annual study of foreign policy attitudes, gave the government a six out of 10 for its relations with China and national security.
Whaling policy received four out of 10, but the survey was undertaken before the government announced it would take Japan to the International Court of Justice.
The rise of China, it seems, is viewed as a mixed blessing. About three-quarters of those surveyed thought Chinese growth was good for the country, up 10 percentage points in two years.
But 57 per cent thought the government was allowing too much investment from China (up from 50 per cent last year). And 46 per cent said it was likely China would become a military threat to Australia in the next 20 years (up from 41 per cent).
