Crossbench senator Fraser Anning has drawn fire from across the political spectrum for calling for a “final solution to the immigration problem” and advocating a return to the White Australia Policy.
The Queensland senator, who replaced One Nation’s Malcolm Roberts but since joined Katter’s Australia Party, used his maiden speech in Parliament on Tuesday to call for a complete shutdown of Muslim immigration.
The phrase “final solution” is commonly associated with Nazi Germany's persecution and systematic genocide of the Jewish peoples of Europe during World War II.
Fraser Anning and Bob Katter in June.
The 68-year-old defended his comments on Nine’s Today show on Wednesday morning, saying his use of the phrase was never intended as a reference to Nazism.
“If that offends anyone then that’s the way it has to be,” he said.
“I don’t regret anything.”
But his comments drew swift condemnation on social media and in political circles.
Energy and environment minister Josh Frydenberg, who has Hungarian heritage, said Senator Anning should retract his comments and "go and visit a Holocaust museum".
"Like a number of colleagues in this place I have relatives who went through the Holocaust," Mr Frydenberg told reporters at Parliament House on Wednesday morning.
"His comment about the final solution to immigration was insensitive, was ignorant, was divisive and was hurtful."
