New top Liberal doubles down on anti-immigration stance
The newly elected Liberal leader has doubled down on plans for a tough immigration policy, vowing to reduce immigration numbers and focus on those who reject Australian values.
But Angus Taylor has offered few details on how the coalition he now leads will fulfill its promise to weed out “those who reject our way of life”.
The new opposition leader, who ousted Sussan Ley in a party hall vote on Friday, is laying out his plan for the unruly Liberals as he funnels the Conservative party’s votes to the anti-immigration One Nation.
Mr Taylor and MP Jane Hume were quick to promise to cut taxes, focus on housing affordability and remove “green ideology” from energy policies.
However, leaders are also vocal about immigration, saying the number of immigrants should be reduced.
“The standards are too low, the numbers are too high and we haven’t clearly closed the door on people who reject our way of life, who don’t believe in our core values,” Mr Taylor told Sky News on Sunday.
High immigration puts pressure on housing and infrastructure, he added, suggesting intelligence agencies could play a greater role in assessing potential residents.
“This is important… they are assessing whether these people have demonstrated in the past that they reject our way of life, or whether they want to bring hatred and violence from somewhere else,” Mr. Taylor said.
But despite the injection of new leadership energy, the party finds itself in a difficult situation, pollster Kos Samaras said.
The Liberals faced the same challenges as those present under Ms Ley, including the loss of support from most groups of voters.
Progressive voters and women are also being alienated, Mr. Samaras said, as some Gen
“Angus Taylor can’t be ultra-conservative on certain issues and then try to pretend he can talk to progressive Melbourne and Sydney,” he told AAP.
“He’ll get stuck just like Susan Ley got stuck.”
The founder of a major Liberal women’s network has left her organization and party, two days after its first female leader was sidelined by a leadership leak.
Charlotte Mortlock founded Hilma’s Network in 2021 to increase women’s representation in the Liberal party.
At the party, she worked on the gender quota proposal, which was recently abolished by the NSW branch.
“Due to recent events I decided there were other ways I could support women and Australia,” Ms Mortlock said.
“I have decided that it is time to step down as managing director of Hilma’s Network and I have also renounced my membership in the Liberal Party.”
Mr Taylor outvoted Ms Ley by 34 votes to 17, ending her term after just nine months.
Shortly after the leak, Ms Ley announced she would spend the coming weeks in her regional constituency of Farrer in NSW before resigning from parliament.
A by-election will be needed to elect a new MP for Farrer in what appears to be a major early test for Mr Taylor.
He will need to prove he can fend off challenges from independents and One Nation, which votes above the coalition.
