In Brief
- Opposition leader Angus Taylor says there is a "higher risk" of "bad people" arriving in Australia from what he calls "bad countries".
- The comments come after Taylor unveiled his controversial immigration policy, with one Greens senator comparing it to the White Australia policy.
Opposition leader Angus Taylor says Australia is at risk of "bad people" arriving from "bad countries" — but has declined to specify which nations would be considered as such under a coalition government.
Speaking on ABC's Insiders on Sunday, Taylor was asked whether his earlier suggestion that migrants from liberal democracies were more likely to adopt Australian values implied that people from China and Vietnam were less likely to fit in.
"Some of the great Australians have come from countries that were bad countries at the time," he said.
"But there is a higher risk that some bad people come from those bad countries."
When asked to name which countries he considered bad, Taylor pointed to Iran and unspecified countries in the Middle East, while also mentioning Gaza.
"We've seen bad countries around the world. I mean, the claim that Iran is a good country right now? Seriously?"
"We have seen terrible acts of atrocity coming from Gaza."
"We know that in the Middle East and elsewhere, that there are countries that have committed great atrocities against their own populations.
"There is real risk with people coming from those countries".
Asked directly whether China was a bad country, Taylor declined to answer, instead responding: "Are you saying Iran is a good country?"
Discrimination based on 'Australian values'
Taylor insisted his government's policy would not discriminate on the basis of race or country of origin, but on "Australian values".
"Many great Australians have come from bad countries. This is why the discrimination shouldn't be based on race or religion. It must be based on Australian values."
Taylor said on Sunday that his approach to assessing individuals would be "intelligence driven and risk based", rather than based on country of origin.
"We are not proposing discrimination based on race or religion. We are proposing discrimination based on acceptance," he said.
"If someone wants to come here and overturn our democracy or doesn't believe in our system of law, I think most Australians would agree with me, they shouldn't be coming to the country."
The comments come after Taylor last week unveiled part of the coalition's immigration policy, which would make compliance with the Australian Values Statement a binding visa condition, establish a "safe country list" to fast-track rejection of protection claims, and introduce enhanced screening of visa applicants, including routine social media checks.
The proposed immigration overhaul was criticised by Labor and the Greens as a divisive reaction to rising One Nation support.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said Taylor's proposal had "nothing to do with the national interest and is entirely about sending a vibe to One Nation".
Greens senator David Shoebridge argued Taylor's proposal reflected a broader shift towards "extreme right" politics.
"The coalition think that reintroducing elements of the White Australia policy is the way forward for Australia in 2026, actively excluding people on the basis of their country of origin, potentially on their religion," he said, referring to historical legislation that aimed to limit non-British, particularly non-white, migration to Australia.
The coalition under former Liberal leader Sussan Ley was also set to introduce a suite of hardline immigration policies before she was ousted, including widespread bans on immigration from more than a dozen countries considered havens for "Islamist terrorist ideologies".
'He's picking up the vibes'
Taylor's comments came as two new polls suggested One Nation's recent surge in support may be plateauing — and as leader Pauline Hanson claimed the major parties were copying her policies.
The latest Newspoll shows One Nation falling from a peak of 27 per cent to 24 per cent, while a Resolve poll published on the same day had the party dropping from 24 to 22 per cent — enough for the coalition to narrowly overtake it on primary votes.
But pollster Kos Samaras, director of strategy and campaigns at polling company RedBridge, cautioned against reading the dip as a reversal.
"Really what we're seeing is a ceiling... the One Nation vote has stabilised in the mid-to-high 20s," he told AAP. "We don't see any evidence that the coalition's making any inroads into One Nation's base."
Hanson said Taylor's immigration policy release had been driven entirely by pressure in the polls from One Nation.
"He's picking up the vibes, and that's why a lot of people are supporting One Nation," Hanson told Melbourne radio station 3AW on Monday.
"At least we're on the same page, and we want to do it.
"Will they follow through and do it? I doubt it."
On Insiders, Taylor declined to directly engage with Hanson's policies, saying her positions "change from day to day".
With additional reporting by Australian Associated Press and Gabrielle Katanasho.
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