Detention centres lose favour in Tassie

POLLING commissioned by the Greens has found more than half of Tasmanians support closing Australia’s detention centres on Manus Island and Nauru.

Essential asked more than 1100 Tasmanians in June whether they supported or opposed closing offshore detention centres.

Sixty-one per cent supported closing them and 26 per cent opposed it. Thirteen per cent said they were not sure.

Denison voters proved most likely to support shutting the centres, with 67 per cent of the 250 residents polled saying they would like them closed.

Lyons and Bass residents were least likely to support their closure at 57 and 58 per cent support respectively.

However, 31 per cent of Lyons voters opposed the closure, compared to the 26 per cent of Bass residents in opposition. Franklin and Braddon were each on 63 per cent support for their closure.

Tasmanian Greens senator Nick McKim called on the state’s senate representatives to take note.

“What I think this does is show very clearly that offshore detention and the deliberate suffering we are causing to men, women and children on Manus Island and Nauru doesn’t have the support of the Tasmanian people,” Senator McKim said.

Tasmanian Liberal senator Eric Abetz yesterday said his party had closed 17 detention centres.

“The only risk to seeing more detention centres is a return to the failed Green-Labor government’s policies,” he said.

Tasmanian independent senator Andrew Wilkie has voted against offshore detention and Labor’s Lisa Singh has previously split with her party on the issue, also speaking against it.