Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has presented Opposition leader Angus Taylor with a clear challenge: commit to refraining from any future alliances with One Nation.
During a discussion on the administration’s initiatives to address Islamophobia on Saturday, Albanese faced a reporter’s inquiry about whether remarks made by One Nation leader Pauline Hanson regarding the Muslim community endangered social cohesion.
Albanese responded decisively, asserting that Hanson has been actively “undermining social cohesion” since her debut in the political arena during the 1996 federal election as a Liberal Party candidate.
He recalled that, back then, the Liberal Party had distanced itself from Hanson, disendorsed her, and subsequently refused to extend electoral preferences to One Nation.
“Angus Taylor faces a critical decision,” Albanese emphasized. “Will he commit to steering clear of preference deals and any arrangements with One Nation in the future?”
Albanese also said Taylor should reverse course on adopting “One Nation-lite” policies and return to the centre of politics.
The prime minister made the comments when issuing the government’s official response to a set of recommendations put forward by Special Envoy to Combat Islamophobia, Aftab Malik, in his landmark report submitted last year.
On Saturday, the Albanese government accepted 35 of the 54 recommendations — 10 months after Malik’s report was handed down.
‘It’s beyond being alarmed’
It comes a day after the release of a controversial podcast interview between Hanson and far-right UK figure Tommy Robinson, in which Hanson lamented the end of the White Australia policy.
Asked by Robinson how Australia had ended up with “Pakistanis, Somalis, all of these African problems with violent Africans,” Hanson said it started with the end of the White Australia Policy.
The postwar wave of migrants was different to today’s situation because the new arrivals “really assimilated’ and “learned to speak English”, she said.
Albanese also addressed those comments on Saturday, saying it was important to remember that the White Australia policy began to be dismantled under the leadership of Liberal prime minister Harold Holt.
“The movement away from the White Australia policy wasn’t just the Labor government of Gough Whitlam, it was actually a bipartisan position that began in the 1960s.
“That was a good thing, a good thing.”
In the interview with Robinson, Hanson also claimed people in ‘Muslim areas’ were taking advantage of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).
Gamel Kheir from the Lebanese Muslim Association said he wasn’t surprised by Hanson’s comments.
“We’re quite used to that dog-whistling racist rhetoric now. It’s beyond being alarmed,” Kheir told SBS News.
“Pauline Hanson is full of rhetoric and zero on facts,” he added.
“You can target the minority communities and blame them for the ills of this world, but it’s not based on any factual statement or statistics.
“These people that she’s attacking on the NDIS system are already disadvantaged. They don’t need to be further isolated and disadvantaged by the likes of Pauline Hanson.”
Health Minister Mark Butler has also questioned the validity of Hanson’s NDIS claims, while Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young described her as the “most un-Australian politician in parliament”.
‘Very loud voices’
In an interview with SBS Nepali, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said there were “some very loud voices” in Australia right now “telling people they don’t belong”.
He described Australia’s multiculturalism as an “orchestra”.
“You only get harmony because you’ve got a whole lot of different instruments,” he told SBS Nepali.
“My role is making sure that the loudest, angriest voices are not the only voices people hear.”
He added that one of the “greatest moments of unity” he’s experienced was citizenship ceremonies.
“People are paying Australia the biggest compliment anyone can pay us,” he said.
“These are people who’ve come from all over the world, and they’re making an active decision that they want to make a lifelong commitment to Australia.
“I always make sure every ceremony in the nation now — whether I’m there or not — always includes the final message to people in two words, which is ‘welcome home’.”
— This story was produced in collaboration with SBS Nepali and with additional reporting by the Australian Associated Press.