Angus Taylor has been asked for his position on Pauline Hanson’s aspiration to turn Australia into a “monocultural” society.
In her first National Press Club address last Wednesday, One Nation leader Hanson declared multiculturalism a “failed policy” and claimed that Australia “cannot be a multicultural society”, and that it “must be monocultural”.
In response to questioning, the federal opposition leader said at a press conference in Canberra this afternoon: “The culture I want to see in this country is people in this country who believe in and support Australian values.
“We’ve been very clear on this commitment to our parliamentary democracy – a commitment to the rule of law, a commitment to our basic freedoms, a commitment to equal respect and dignity of all Australians. That’s what we believe in.”
Taylor was asked by reporters to clarify his remarks several times, and when asked whether he thought multiculturalism was still a principle for Australia’s culture, he said: “We all need to share in this country. We need to share those values.
“There’s all these vague words running around, but I tell you what, the one thing I want all of us to share is those core Australian things. That’s what we believe in. I can’t be clearer than that.”