Fraser Anning staffer quits amid speech outrage

A staffer of Fraser Anning has quit a day after the senator was heavily criticised over his maiden speech to Parliament.

Katter'€™s Australian Party Senator Fraser Anning

Katter'€™s Australian Party Senator Fraser Anning Source: AAP

 

An adviser to Fraser Anning has quit after the Queensland senator used the Nazi phrase "final solution" in a controversial speech on Muslim immigration.

Richard McGilvray resigned hours after the senator for Queensland delivered his first upper house speech on Tuesday night.

Mr McGilvray, who managed the senator's legislative agenda and negotiations with stakeholders, said he could not condone the views expressed in the speech.


  

"His reference to 'The Final Solution' was not something I had seen, heard of, or discussed prior to his remarks last night," Mr McGilvray posted on LinkedIn.

"As a consequence, within hours of Senator Anning's speech, I resigned my position effective immediately."

Mr McGilvray thanked people for their messages of support and encouragement.

The post by Richard Mcgilvray on Linkedin
The post by Richard Mcgilvray on Linkedin Source: Linkedin


Despite copping criticism from all sides of politics as well as religious and migrant groups, Senator Anning has refused to apologise and does not regret anything he said in the speech.

Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton said the Katter's Australian Party senator was wrong not to apologise after claiming he didn't make the connection between "the final solution" and the Holocaust.

"If he says he's made a mistake then apologises and people can make their own judgments about that," Mr Dutton told Sydney radio 2GB.

"But to keep your hands in your pockets and hold the ground, I just think he's making a mistake, but ultimately that's a judgment for him."


 

Senator Anning is continuing his call for a plebiscite on "European immigration" despite ferocious criticism of his praise for the White Australia policy.

His party leader Bob Katter backed him "1000 per cent" after the controversial speech, which was littered with false and deeply offensive remarks about Muslim Australians.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Labor leader Bill Shorten gave passionate speeches in parliament opposing Senator Anning on Wednesday.

Mr Turnbull said people who demonise Muslims because of the crimes of a tiny minority will only help terrorists.
"The days of the White Australia policy are long, long ago."

 

Mr Shorten moved a unanimously-passed motion in parliament praising the Liberal-Country Party government led by Harold Holt for beginning the dismantling of the White Australia policy in 1966.

Senator Anning will move a motion in the upper house on Thursday calling on the government to hold a plebiscite to determine "who" is allowed to migrate to Australia.

A national vote would ask if Australians want to continue what he says is the current "indiscriminate" immigration policy, which "allows Muslims to come into this country", or return to a program favouring white Europeans.

"We need a plebiscite to allow the Australian people to decide whether they want wholesale non-English speaking immigrants from the Third World," he said in his speech on Tuesday.

Around 1942, Germany's Nazi leadership established a plan called 'The Final Solution to the Jewish Question', which led to the genocide of more than six million Jews in occupied Europe.




Share
3 min read

Published

Updated



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world
Fraser Anning staffer quits amid speech outrage | SBS News