Observation
On 23 August 2018, the Australian government announced a decision that excluded Chinese companies Huawei and ZTE from building Australia’s 5G infrastructure, citing national security concerns. That decision appears to have gained the backing of many Australians.
On the implications of foreign involvement in Australian infrastructure, almost half (44%) of the population say that the first priority for the Australian government should be ‘protecting Australians from foreign state intrusion’ when considering ‘which foreign companies should be allowed to supply new technology for important services in Australia’. Significantly fewer (28% each) believe the government’s first priority should be ‘bringing the most sophisticated technology to Australia’ or ‘keeping prices down for Australian consumers’. Younger Australians are more divided on this question: 18-29-year-old Australians prioritise equally protection from foreign state intrusion and bringing the most sophisticated technology to Australia. In 2020, 39% of Australians said they would support the Australian government ‘allowing Chinese companies to supply technology for critical infrastructure in Australia’.