Three-quarters of Australians support stripping terrorists of citizenship: poll

Three-quarters of Australian voters support a controversial proposal which would result in Australian nationals being stripped of citizenship should they engage in terrorist activities.

An online poll, conducted by local media outlet Fairfax Media, revealed on Tuesday that 75 percent of Australians would be in favor of voiding the passports of potential terrorists, should they be able to source citizenship with another country.

Twenty-one percent of voters were against the move, while 4 percent were undecided.

But the proposal was put on hold back in May, after a leak out of Prime Minister Tony Abbott's cabinet meeting revealed that key party members, including Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, were not in support of the move.

Under international law, Australia is forbidden to leave a sole national "stateless", but there has been talk of adjusting the proposal, after a discussion paper was launched by senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells and veteran MP Philip Ruddock.

But potential changes to the proposal include disallowing sole citizens the right to vote and the right to receive consular assistance should they engage in terrorist activities, while retaining Australian citizenship.

When the proposal was first announced, Prime Minister Abbott said the issue of renouncing the citizenship of sole nationals who choose to defect to terrorist organizations would be carefully examined by those contributing to the discussion paper.

"That's something which the government will reconsider, along with what might possibly be done in respect of people fighting with terrorist armies overseas who are wholly and solely Australian citizens," he said.

On Tuesday, senator Fierravanti-Wells told Fairfax that submissions to the discussion paper had closed, and that she and Philip Ruddock were in the process of analyzing the potential amendments.

Despite the overwhelming public support for the notion of stripping sole nationals of their passports, Fierravanti-Wells did not mention whether the controversial proposal would be revived.

"We have had very good response to the wide-ranging questions raised in the discussion paper," she said.

Another bill is currently before the Joint Standing Committee on Intelligence and Security which, if passed, would result in dual nationals being stripped of their Australian citizenship should they engage in terrorist activity. Endi