For a long time many Australians were firmly on board with the prevailing mainstream view that championed our immigration program and celebrated multiculturalism.
It was a time when it was easy to relate with pride to the claim that Australia was the most successful multicultural society in the world.
A place where old world enmities or prejudices were left behind by those who sought to make their home in a country of tolerance and respect for individual dignity, religious freedom, a commitment to the rule of law, and a “fair-go” for all.
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The flipside was that for some decades, to query our immigration program risked being accused of racism or “cancelled”. This was illustrated by Pauline Hanson’s years of ostracism from mainstream political debate.
Now, in an increasingly uncertain world the harmonious society which we had perhaps taken for granted has come under growing challenge and our social fabric has become uncomfortably stretched.
This was brought into focus in a tide of anti-semitism and the ISIS-inspired Bondi massacre. Many Australians have found this disturbing or even alarming.
They looked around and wondered what had happened to their country — and wanted it back.
Their concerns were reinforced each time the Left sneered at their views or patronised them.
The consistent messaging of Senator Hanson’s One Nation began to cut through and show up in the polls.
In January a Newspoll showed One Nation outpolling the Coalition at the Federal level for the first time in Australian political history.
And while Labor was returned in a landslide in the South Australian State election last month, One Nation outpolled the Liberal Party.
With a Federal by-election set for the NSW seat of Farrer on May 9, Opposition Leader Angus Taylor released a major plank of his immigration policy on Tuesday.
Mr Taylor said Australians were “fed up with politically-correct preaching on immigration”.
He laid out a plan to make a pledge to abide by Australian values legally enforceable, reintroduce temporary protection visas, make learning English an obligation for permanent visa holders, crack down on radical preachers by screening social media, and deport visa overstayers.
Mr Taylor also promised to ban non-citizens from access to a scheme enabling first-home buyers to buy a property with a five per cent deposit.
The reaction from Labor to previews of the speech were entirely predictable.
Minister for Defence Industry, Pat Conroy, said it was “desperate dog-whistling” from Mr Taylor who was “trying to compete with One Nation in a race to the bottom.”
It was an outdated and simplistic assessment which brushed aside the genuinely held views of many Australians.
Australians are clearly ready for a serious discussion around immigration.
It needs to be held openly, honestly and free of judgment.
