Daily London
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has fronted an anti-immigration rally demanding national debate on identity and values as the Coalition prepares to unveil a new policy.
It will be focused on slowing intake and regional dispersal.
“I have seen the plan to divide us as a nation with multiculturalism and globalisation – to take away who we are with dignity,” she told a rally in Melbourne.
Marchers at a counter-protest made their voices heard as police worked throughought the day to keep the two rallies apart.
Hanson’s address to the 700 people who marched from Flinders Street to Flagstaff Gardens came as the Coalition weighs a new migration policy to be announced in coming weeks
“We need a migration policy that slows down and buys some time for us to build some homes,” Nationals leader David Littleproud told Insiders.
Liberal leader Sussan Ley blamed the government’s policies.
“It’s not a failure of any migrant or migrant communities it’s a massive failure of the Labor government to build the infrastructure we need,” she said.
She said non-infrastructure ideas – like stricter English language requirements and morals tests – “form part of that conversation”.
The most recent Redbridge/Accent poll for the Financial Review has Labor above the Coalition when asked who is best to handle immigration but both well behind One Nation.
The Nationals want more power over where migrants and visa holders live when they arrive, hoping to channel more people and in particular more trades to regional Australia
“Just pouring people into Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane – you’re all living with that experience and your children are losing hope.” Littleproud said.
Labor Trade Minister Don Farrell last week urged the Coalition not to pursue immigration cuts.
“Immigration is important for the future of this country,” he told Sky News.
“It should be a bipartisan issue. For the most of the history of this country, immigration has been a bipartisan issue.
“I’d much prefer it to be the government and the opposition sitting down, working out what is the best way to go forward in the immigration space.”
