Australian Public Opinion, Defence and Foreign Policy

This book examines the impact of Australian public opinion towards defence and foreign policy from the mid-twentieth century to the present day. For most of this period, the public showed little interest in defence and security policy and possessed limited knowledge about the strategic options available. The principal post-war exception to this pattern is, of course, the Vietnam War, when political divisions over Australia’s support for the U.S.-led action eventually resulted in the withdrawal of troops in 1972. The period since 2001 has seen a fundamental change both in the public’s views of defence and foreign affairs, and in how these issues are debated by political elites. This has come about as a result of major changes in the strategic environment such as a heightened public awareness of terrorism, party political divisions over Australia’s military commitment to the 2003-11 Iraq War and the increasing overlap of economic and trade considerations with defence and foreign policies, which has increased the public’s interest in these issues. Combining the expertise of one of Australia's foremost scholars of public opinion with that of an expert of international relations, particularly as pertains to Australia in Asia, this book will be a critical read for those wishing to understand Australia's alliance with the U.S., interactions with Asia and China, and the distinctive challenges posed to Australia by its geographic position.
Danielle Chubb joined Deakin University, Australia, in 2012 as Lecturer, after working as a Research Fellow at the Honolulu-based security studies think tank, Pacific Forum CSIS. She has also worked as a lecturer at The Australian National University and Hawaii Pacific University, and as a researcher in the Australian Parliamentary Library's Social Policy branch. Danielle completed her Ph.D. at The Australian National University, in the College of Asia and the Pacific.
Ian McAllister is Distinguished Professor of Political sScience at the Australian National University. He earned his Ph.D. in political science in 1976 from University of Strathclyde. He is a leading election specialist with a research focus on Australian politics which involves co-directing the Australian Election Study, a national survey of political opinion conducted after each federal election since 1987 at the Australian National University. He is among Australia's leading political scientists.