Angus Taylor says higher risk of ‘bad people coming from bad countries’ as he singles out Iran | Australia news
Opposition leader Angus Taylor doubled down on immigration policy, saying there was a “higher risk of some bad people coming from these bad countries” and refused to echo Pauline Hanson’s hard line.
Speaking to ABC’s Insider program on Sunday, Taylor also advocated for One Nation to be favored over independent community candidate Michelle Milthorpe in the upcoming Farrer by-election, and advocated for turquoise to “vote for the Greens”.
Since being elected Liberal leader, Taylor has stated that immigrants from countries “run by religious fundamentalists, extremists and dictators” are less likely to “subscribe” to liberal democratic values.
On Sunday, he went further, labeling some countries in particular as “bad countries” when asked whether immigrants from China or Vietnam were less likely to integrate than immigrants from Britain.
“A lot of good people come from bad countries. Some of the great Australians came from what were bad countries at the time,” Taylor said.
“But there is a higher risk that some bad people will come from these bad countries.”
Taylor called Iran a “bad country” but did not directly name the others.
“We have bad countries all over the world. So seriously claiming that Iran is a good country and the government itself putting in place legislation that will make it harder for people to come from Iran. We have seen terrible acts of brutality coming from Gaza,” he said.
“So we know that they are committing great atrocities against their own people in the Middle East and elsewhere.”
Australia has a non-discriminatory immigration system; This means that people from certain countries are not prevented from applying for entry. Taylor said his party’s policy was consistent with that and that it would discriminate against people who did not accept Australia’s “core values”.
The Labor government last month banned nearly 7,000 Iranian citizens on visitor visas from traveling to Australia for six months under the new law over concerns the visitors might not be able to return to Iran.
Taylor also declined to be vocal about Hanson’s language on immigration and said he agreed with her on some issues. Hanson will speak at an anti-immigration rally outside parliament on Sunday.
“There are some things we can agree on, and I’m sure there are things we disagree on,” Taylor said.
Hanson called for all visas to be capped at 130,000 per year, while claiming the Liberal party’s tougher stance on the issue was appreciated.
Taylor defended choosing One Nation over the community independent candidate in Sussan Ley’s former seat of Farrer, describing it as the “least worst option”. According to a fake how-to-vote card released about the candidate, the Liberals will favor the Nationals’ second-place Brad Robertson, fourth-placed One Nation candidate David Farley and ninth-placed Milthorpe. Raissa Butkowskicampaign website.
Milthorpe and Farley are frontrunners in the byelection, meaning the flow of preferences could be crucial in the final outcome.
Ley represented the seat of Farrer for 25 years. The seat was previously held by the Nationals.
“When you’re choosing, you choose the least bad option, and the least bad option is the National Party for the Liberal Party,” Taylor said.
“There are a bunch of teals in this parliament who are ready to trash our energy system, trash access to water and the power of our farming communities, and we simply cannot approve of that… Too often they vote with the Greens.”
Milthorpe told Guardian Australia he was not “orange” but Climate 200 had some support from independent MP Helen Haines and independent senator David Pocock.
