Party Colleagues Concerned Over Opposition Leader’s Multiculturalism Comments
Angus Taylor has sought to clarify his remarks on multiculturalism that left his party colleagues perplexed and questioning his strategy regarding One Nation.
On Wednesday, senior Liberals publicly affirmed their support for Australia's cultural diversity, with outspoken backbencher Andrew McLachlan urging Taylor to
“embrace the reality of modern Australia.”
“If you aspire to lead our nation you should embrace the reality of modern Australia,”the Liberal senator told Australia.
“It is a prerequisite of a leader to fight for the aspirations of each and every member of our community.”
During a press conference on Tuesday, Taylor repeatedly declined to explicitly state whether he supports multiculturalism in Australia. He avoided direct answers and described multiculturalism as
“all these vague words running around,”before challenging a reporter to
“Do you want to define it for me?”
This line of questioning followed Taylor’s earlier remarks last week, where he asserted that Australia
“cannot be a multicultural society”and must instead be
“monocultural.”
These responses surprised and concerned some Liberal colleagues, who viewed Pauline Hanson’s claim about a
“monoculture”as a boundary crossed and an opportunity for the Coalition to clearly distinguish itself from One Nation’s agenda.
One Liberal MP commented,
“Nobody knows what monoculture means and it won’t resonate. The fact he [Taylor] didn’t have any answer struck a bit of a confidence blow. Instead of capitalising on [Hanson’s] errors, he is just tip-toeing.”
The MP added that members across factional lines were growing
“exceptionally uncomfortable”with the strategy of competing with or attempting to outflank One Nation on immigration and related issues.
Shadow Foreign Affairs Minister Ted O’Brien dismissed the debate over the meaning of monoculture as
“a silly one.”
“Who’s in the mono? I don’t know. Who decides who’s in the mono? I mean, I assume it’s government, right? And I’m a Liberal, I believe in small government, not big government. I mean, what do we have, a minister for cultural purity?”he told the National Press Club.
“The thought that Johnny, who’s at work speaking English, can’t go home and speak Italian to his nonna, that’s nuts.”
Taylor’s Clarification and Party Responses
In a statement issued late Tuesday, Taylor indicated support for a form of multiculturalism aligned with shared values and respect for laws.
“I believe in an Australia where everyone respects our laws, shares our values and contributes to the fabric of our country. That is the type of multiculturalism that we believe in. We reject Labor’s multiculturalism which sees different people held to different standards because of their cultural background,”he said.
“That is how we have ended up with antisemitic hatred on our streets, ugly protests on the Harbour Bridge, terrorist sympathisers back into our community and non-citizens accessing benefits that should be there for Australians.”
This statement reflects new talking points provided to Liberal MPs to assist in responding to media inquiries on the topic.
Labor ridiculed Taylor’s comments in parliament, with Treasurer Jim Chalmers stating,
“One of the reasons why the [Coalition] is dying in [Taylor’s] arms is because his efforts to out–One Nation One Nation are becoming increasingly pathetic.”
Following Hanson’s National Press Club speech, Liberal MP Garth Hamilton challenged her to clarify how a
“monoculture”would be implemented.
“Is a bulldozer going to be driven through Chinatown? Can I run a kebab shop? Can I go to the [Greek] Paniyiri festival? When the Russian ballet comes out, can I go watch that? I know this sounds ridiculous. Answer these freaking questions, Pauline,”he said.
“We’ve never been a monoculture.”
Influence of Former Prime Minister and Party Divisions
Some Liberals speculate that Taylor’s ambiguous stance on multiculturalism is partly influenced by former Prime Minister and current Liberal party president Tony Abbott, who in a interview aired overnight, implicitly endorsed Hanson’s position.
“Australia has a core Anglo-Celtic culture. We have a foundational Judeo-Christian ethos that should never change,”Abbott said.
McLachlan criticized Abbott’s comments, calling them
“philosophical musings unhelpful and deny the realities of modern Australia.”
“Abbott should focus on building our campaign capability and organisational strength. Not trying to build a Tardis to take us to a time and place that never was.”
Diverse Views Within the Party
On Wednesday, Deputy Liberal Leader Jane Hume expressed disagreement with
“the politics of identity of the left”but also rejected
“the policy of cultural fear from the right.”
“We are a multicultural society. Let’s face it, we already are. I had my three children christened in an Anglican church. My mother goes to Catholic church on Sundays, and I go to Greek Easter and crack little red-dyed eggs,”she said.
“I don’t really care where you came from. I don’t give two hoots what your country of origin is. What I care about is whether you’re going to contribute to building our nation.”
Senator Maria Kovacic, daughter of Croatian migrants, described Australia as
“a beautiful multicultural society”built over 200 years by many migrants.
Minister Anne Ruston also affirmed that Australia was
“built on multiculturalism.”
