Sophie Mirabella (Indi, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Yesterday, the Leader of the Opposition called for a values statement to be made by would-be Australian citizens and would-be visitors to Australia. The practicalities of imposing such a values statement on would-be visitors would be a bit bizarre. But, as the Prime Minister has admitted, there is perhaps some merit in looking at some commitment to Australian values. The Prime Minister said in a very recent interview:

In relation to people who are going to live in Australia, the idea of getting them to fully embrace Australian values and fully commit to Australian values, I think you have heard me say that time and time again, and any way that can be embraced, that will reinforce that, I’m for.

It is perhaps a concept worth considering: that those who want a visa to be permanent residents in Australia and who want that status of permanent residency—perhaps in preparation for Australian citizenship—should be asked to embrace Australian values, such as support and respect for democracy, support and respect for women and the equal treatment of women, and support and respect for our laws, for our police and for our armed forces. That is something basic that most Australians would agree with.

On this very point, this government has done much already to reinforce Australian values to visitors coming to Australia and has significant programs, both language programs and cultural programs, to assist those who are settling permanently in Australia. I take this opportunity to urge Andrew Robb, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs, to hurry up the discussion of a formal citizenship test for migrants seeking Australian citizenship as well.

But there is one disturbing aspect about the suggestion that the Leader of the Opposition has made, and that is that it shocked and split his own party. Why did such a reasonable suggestion—particularly in these times when the Australian public is asking for some sort of unifying direction and some sort of commitment from those who believe that Australia is attractive to enough to come and live here—split his caucus? I will tell you why: it is because there are loopy people in the Labor caucus who do not even want the word ‘mainstream’ uttered within that caucus room. They are petrified of and paranoid about standing up and promoting Australian values, standing up and promoting democracy, standing up and promoting our rule of law and standing up and promoting those very pillars and institutions that have made this nation one of the most economically prosperous and politically free civil societies on earth. You have to wonder what sort of people make up the Labor Party caucus.

The Leader of the Opposition is not even allowed to speak a few words of sense. The Australian people expect an alternative Prime Minister to be more than a limp leader whose own party does not respect him enough to allow for open debate on this very important issue, which goes to the very core of our national identity and the future of this nation. Some older members in this House may like to play politics and try to appease all sorts of interest groups on this issue, but as one of the younger members of this House I want to live long enough to see a united Australia, not one that is divided. We have an obligation to facilitate that.

The Australian people still do not have any idea what the Leader of the Opposition, a fellow who has been a member of parliament for more than a quarter of a century, stands for. He is a bloke who recently told a Liberal member of parliament to ‘take your tablets’. He is a bloke who gave us the failed dud subs when he was Minister for Defence, who so unkindly left the Howard government with an $8 billion budget black hole when he was finance minister, who gave us 11 per cent unemployment when he was employment minister and who stupidly gave us the costly and ridiculous cable duplication when he was communications minister. And he is now telling us that he thinks visitors and prospective citizens alike should face a values test to get permanent residency or citizenship. (Time expired)

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