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Angus Taylor’s handling of the multiculturalism debate has triggered new concerns over his future as party leader, leaving colleagues questioning his ability to cut through with voters.
And former Liberal senator Amanda Vanstone, who served as immigration minister under John Howard, has lashed the current party leader for taking his cues from One Nation leader Pauline Hanson.
Taylor was under pressure to declare what he believed in after Hanson told the National Press Club last week that Australia “must be monocultural” and that “Australians must live under the one cultural umbrella”.
Asked six times on Tuesday whether he supported multicultural Australia before he attempted to directly address that question, Taylor said: “We can have people from all over the world, of all races and religions in this country, but they must share those core values.”
The following day, he clarified in an interview with 2GB that he supported multiculturalism but “not Labor’s multiculturalism”.
Howard-era immigration minister Vanstone questioned Taylor’s handling of the debate.
“We are one of the big three immigration countries around the globe. Unless you’re a full-blown Indigenous Australian you have migrant blood in your veins, that’s the DNA of people who want to build a better life,” Vanstone said.
“And if you can’t stand up for that, you’re in trouble.”
One Liberal MP, who asked not to be named so they could speak freely, defended the leader but conceded he was struggling.
“He’s trying hard in a very difficult environment, his instincts are good, but there are communications challenges. But it is early days, he deserves a fair go. We just need to focus on the economy,” the MP said.
Another MP said that “on the retail side of things he might be struggling, but the policy side of things is developing well. There are 18 months until the election, we just need to hold our nerve”.
A third Liberal MP said the leader should simply have endorsed multiculturalism, rather than prevaricating, and moved the discussion back to the economy.
“I don’t know why he didn’t just say ‘multiculturalism is great’ and then move on,” the third MP said, adding that as the election drew nearer, Taylor’s future would come into sharper focus and “if people are looking at losing their seat, then there will be a change”.
A fourth Liberal said the party had “chosen the Liberal leader straight from central casting when the electorate wants to burn place down. Hastie would disrupt the status quo, Angus will not”.
Fellow conservative and frontbench MP Andrew Hastie, who shares a birthday with Taylor but who is exactly 18 years younger than the 60-year-old opposition leader, is considered the person most likely to succeed the current leader.
Hastie was initially in the frame to replace former leader Sussan Ley back in February but was prevailed upon to stand aside for Taylor. Shadow treasurer Tim Wilson is also considered a possible future leader, although the Melbourne moderate is an outside chance.
In an email to his supporters sent on Friday, Hastie took aim at Hanson and her chief of staff James Ashby for personally targeting him and his seat.
“They’ve run a relentless campaign of personal attacks against me online. It’s become serious enough that security at my home and electorate office needs to be upgraded,” he said.
“I explained this to the joint party room this week in parliament, and my comments were briefed to the media. Yes, I said I’d never surrender to One Nation. And yes, I said that they’d have to take me out in a box before that happens.”
He also criticised former Nationals leader turned One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce for being “off on a frolic in London” at a conservative conference rather than taking the fight to Labor.
“If One Nation were serious about defeating Labor, they’d be in parliament helping us stop Labor’s new taxes instead of attacking Coalition MPs. A case in point: Barnaby Joyce – one of the key architects of Australia’s disastrous Net Zero policy – didn’t turn up to parliament to fight Labor’s new taxes.”
Taylor, Hastie and Wilson all declined to comment when contacted by this masthead.
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James Massola is chief political commentator. He was previously national affairs editor and South-East Asia correspondent. He has won Quill and Kennedy awards and been a Walkley finalist. Connect securely on Signal @jamesmassola.01Connect via X or email.From our partners
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