Angus Taylor has argued that people ‘migrating from places ruled by fundamentalists, extremists and dictators’ are less likely to subscribe to Australian values. Photograph: Dan Himbrechts/AAPView image in fullscreenAngus Taylor has argued that people ‘migrating from places ruled by fundamentalists, extremists and dictators’ are less likely to subscribe to Australian values. Photograph: Dan Himbrechts/AAP‘Debased himself’ and risking Australia’s reputation: Liberals torn up about Taylor’s Trumpian immigration plan Howard-era former minister Amanda Vanstone criticises parts of hardline policy but backs English language requirement
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Former Howard government minister Amanda Vanstone has warned Angus Taylor against turning immigration into heavy-handed law enforcement, saying most migrants from countries run by dictators and extremists move here to escape authoritarianism.
Releasing the first elements of a new hardline immigration policy on Tuesday, the opposition leader sparked criticism from refugee advocates, Pauline Hanson and even one sitting Liberal MP, who all likened the plans to policies from US president Donald Trump.
Read moreView image in fullscreenAmanda Vanstone in 2019. Vanstone says ‘people who want to get away from authoritarianism come here to escape it, not to reinstitute it’. Photograph: Mark Jesser/AAPTaylor used a speech to the Menzies Research Centre to argue migrants from liberal democracies had a greater likelihood of subscribing to Australian values, “compared to those migrating from places ruled by fundamentalists, extremists, and dictators”.
Vanstone, who served as immigration minister from 2003 to 2006, told Guardian Australia using immigration systems for law enforcement risked the country’s status as a successful multicultural nation.
“Sure, people from Liberal democracies have an understanding about our system but never forget that people who want to get away from authoritarianism come here to escape it, not to reinstitute it,” she said.
But the Liberal party veteran backed Taylor’s plans to require permanent migrants to learn English.
“You don’t have to be able to write a novel but for proper integration, you have to be able to get around and function. Functional English is so important,” Vanstone said.
“But I have never agreed that immigration should be regarded as a law enforcement portfolio, because we are an immigration nation. Just like the United States and Canada. It’s an opportunity to shape where we want to be, not who we don’t want.”
One current Liberal MP, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said Taylor’s plans for Home Affairs officers to conduct social media vetting at the Australian border was a “pathetic attempt to mimic Trump”.
View image in fullscreenAngus Taylor invoked John Howard’s language about asylum seekers from 2021, saying ‘we will decide who deserves protection and the circumstances in which that protection is granted’. Photograph: Dan Himbrechts/AAP“Angus is a leader facing the threat of One Nation from the front and [Andrew] Hastie from behind,” the MP said. “Therefore he has decided to debase himself with petty attacks on the most vulnerable.”
Taylor invoked John Howard’s language about asylum seekers from 2001, saying, “we will decide who deserves protection and the circumstances in which that protection is granted”.
Paul Power, the co-chief executive of the Refugee Council of Australia, said Taylor had failed to understand that recent migrants, like those who arrived in Australia in the 1950s and 60s, were often fleeing war and oppression.
He warned many migrant and refugee community members had reported experiencing abuse on Australia’s streets and some even fear going out in public.
“The irony of Mr Taylor questioning whether migrants adhere to Australian values is that, in doing so, he is demonstrating a set of values which falls well short of the concept of giving everyone a fair go,” Power said.
“This policy reflects a troubling willingness to single out a vulnerable group of people fleeing conflict and subject them all to discrimination.”
Hanson, the One Nation party leader, claimed credit for the Coalition’s plan on Tuesday but told Sydney radio 2SM it would not win back voters abandoning the Liberals and Nationals.
“People aren’t stupid. People realise they put a lot of trust and faith into the Liberal party to deliver for them and the leadership wasn’t there,” she said.
The opposition’s plan would limit the government’s 5% first homebuyers’ deposit scheme to Australian citizens, blocking permanent residents from accessing help to purchase a home.
