A significant debate about next week's security statement and its impact on support for the migration program and multiculturalism is developing inside the Liberal Party.
Queensland MP Teresa Gambaro was the first to make her views public.
Ms Gambaro is a former Assistant Minister for Immigration in the Howard government and a key advocate for multiculturalism.
In a statement to SBS Ms Gambaro said that "while it seems clear that there have been very concerning failures of process and a lack of proper diligence with security checks, we should not let these failures of process lead us to question the strengths and benefits of our migration program or our success as a multicultural society.”
Prime Minister Tony Abbott has raised the Lindt Café as an example of where lax enforcement of bail rules allowed Man Haron Monis free on bail while facing serious charges.
Mr Abbott has detailed the areas he wanted to examine in the context of the security statement.
"It's clear to me, that for too long, we have given those who might be a threat to our country the benefit of the doubt,” he said in a recent statement.
“There’s been the benefit of the doubt at our borders, the benefit of the doubt for residency, the benefit of the doubt for citizenship and the benefit of the doubt at Centrelink.
“And in the courts, there has been bail, when clearly there should have been jail.”
Ethnic Communities were concerned the approach could undermine support for multiculturalism in Australia while Civil Liberties groups have raised their concerns about the Government’s plan to end the so called ‘benefit of the doubt’.
There were no further details available from the prime minister about the plans at this stage.
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