‘No validity’: top Liberal rejects leaked migrant plan
Andrew Brown and Grace Crivellaro |
Opposition Leader Angus Taylor has denied being privy to a proposed Liberal policy that would ban immigrants from regions of select countries from entering Australia.
A plan that was developed under former Liberal leader Sussan Ley but had not been unveiled publicly would have stopped migrants from areas declared terror zones from coming into the country.
Regions would include parts of 13 countries such as the Philippines and Lebanon, as well as Gaza.
Mr Taylor said while he wanted to focus on migration as part of his leadership of the party, he did not have knowledge of the policy.
“That document, which I haven’t actually seen, has no validity,” he told ABC’s 7.30 program.
“What I do know is that we need an immigration policy that raises the standard, reduces the numbers because the standards have been too low and the numbers have been too high.”
Liberal senator Sarah Henderson said focusing on migration was in the national interest.
“We understand that we will need to deliver an immigration policy in the best interest of all Australians and Angus and our team will be doing that very, very soon,” she told ABC radio on Tuesday.
Senator Henderson is tipped to return to the coalition front bench as part of a reshuffle prompted by Mr Taylor taking leadership of the Liberals.
The announcement could be made as early as Tuesday, with conservatives Jacinta Nampijinpa Price and Andrew Hastie also tipped to return to the shadow ministry.
Promotions could come at the expense of Ms Ley’s key backers after she was ousted on Friday, losing to Mr Taylor’s 34 votes in a partyroom ballot.
Alex Hawke, Andrew Wallace, Scott Buchholz and Anne Ruston are among those who face losing their shadow ministries.
However, one expert said Mr Taylor should take notes from former Liberal leader John Howard’s “broad church” approach to designing a front bench, ensuring moderate and conservative voices were represented.
“The most important job for Angus Taylor right now is to come up with a front bench … that can work together to make policy, because that was Peter Dutton’s greatest failing,” Australian National University political scientist Jill Sheppard said.
“He’ll have to balance stacking the front bench full of his own.”
One way to strike that balance might be to promote moderate Tim Wilson to shadow treasurer, Dr Sheppard said.
The first poll released since Ms Ley was ousted showed support for the coalition up three points to 23 per cent, a tie with Pauline Hanson’s One Nation.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the rise in One Nation in the polls had been driven by the woes of the coalition.
“People are frustrated because the coalition parties are such a mess,” he told ABC TV.
“The Liberals hate each other and the Nats hate each other, and the Liberals hate the Nats.”
AAP