Australia Is Losing The Immigration Debate To Political Correctness

The silence of leaders like Anthony Albanese leaves extremists to frame an issue that should reflect Australia's success story but is instead becoming a political hot potato.

- Jonathan Pearlman

In the aftermath of a series of anti-immigration marches across Australia on Aug 31 that featured prominent contingents of neo-Nazis, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was asked by a radio interviewer whether he thought there were any "good people" at the rallies.

"Of course," he replied, "I have no doubt that there would have been good people who went along".

It was a controversial remark, especially as the rallies featured some of the most open and defiant appearances by neo-Nazis in recent Australian history and included racist vitriol against groups such as Indian migrants and Aborigines.

Mr Albanese's "good people" comment was likened by some critics to Mr Donald Trump's notorious statement during his first term as US president in 2017 that "very fine people" attended a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, at which an attendee drove through counter-protesters and killed a 32-year-old woman.

Admittedly, Mr Albanese, unlike the US President, had been specifically responding to a question about the type of people at the Australian rallies. He also stressed his opposition to giving a platform to neo-Nazis and described the rallies' tone as "hateful" at times.

"We're a modern nation that has benefited from our multiculturalism," he said. "We're enriched by the diversity in this country."

But Mr Albanese's comments drew criticism, including from some of his fellow MPs in the ruling Labor party.

A former Labor minister, Mr Ed Husic, told ABC News that he did not support the Prime Minister's "good people" comment. "I haven't seen a good fascist yet," Mr Husic said.

Mr Albanese's words, coming amid a vocal anti-migrant backlash, were no doubt intended to avoid inflaming an already incendiary debate. But they also underscored the communication failures of Australia's political leaders, who have persistently struggled or refused to publicly explain and defend the nation's immigration policy.