A poll showing almost half of Australians surveyed want to ban Muslim immigration shows Australian leaders have not done enough to foster cohesion, the Labor deputy leader, Tanya Plibersek, has said. On Wednesday an Essential poll found 49% of respondents agreed with a ban on Muslim immigration, compared with 40% who opposed the idea. Plibersek said she saw “great Muslim citizens who have made a huge contribution to Australia”. In a statement on Facebook on Wednesday, the Greens senator Scott Ludlam said the poll results were “sobering” and the “most jolting” result was that 30% of Greens voters supported the ban on Muslim immigration. In other widely-reported comments Aly has unambiguously denounced Islamic State and the Paris attacks as “evil”.

Source: The Guardian September 22, 2016 00:43 UTC