Anthony Albanese has accused Angus Taylor of mimicking One Nation in a new coalition he is describing as “Liberal One Nationals”, vowing to never draw a distinction between permanent residents and Australian citizens.
With Pauline Hanson’s populist party threatening the two-party system, the Prime Minister took aim at the Opposition Leader’s migration policy, saying it was “increasingly difficult to see a difference between what the Liberal or National parties are saying and what the One Nation party are saying”.
Labelling Mr Taylor’s policy to phase out social security benefits for permanent residents “extraordinary and divisive”, Mr Albanese said permanent residents had “made a commitment to Australia” despite choosing against becoming citizens.
Hospitals and aged-care systems would be unworkable without permanent residents, Mr Albanese said, adding there were good reasons people from countries such as China and India chose to permanently live in Australia without becoming citizens.
“There’s no dual citizenship available to them,” Mr Albanese said. “They’ve got to renounce their citizenship in their country of birth, and that might lead to consequences for them and the relationship they have with relatives back in their country of birth.
“Go into a hospital here, see what happens if all the permanent residents go. See if you have a nurse, an orderly, someone who’s cleaning, someone who’s looking after those health facilities.
“Go into an aged-care facility and see how our older Australians would get the services they need if somehow we throw out all the permanent residents.”
While Mr Albanese drew a similarity between the Coalition’s approach and One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce wrongly saying his party would evict permanent residents from their homes, Mr Taylor’s policy would be grandfathered and impact only new migrants.
In Brisbane on Sunday, Senator Hanson reiterated that she was considering running for a lower house seat at the 2028 election but argued it was only “convention” that the prime minister sits in the House of Representatives rather than the Senate. “John Gorton was the prime minister from the Senate for three months before we moved to the lower house,” she said.
Asked whether One Nation was making policy on the run, after Mr Joyce backflipped on a housing policy in a live television interview this week, Senator Hanson said he was still learning policies of the new party he joined in December.
“It’s got nothing to do with making policy on the run,” she said. “Barnaby came across from another political party. You know, to be across all our policies, it’s extremely hard. If you ask a lot of the other members on the backbench, I’m sure they’re not across their own policies. You go and ask any Labor (backbencher) or the National Party.
“I’m very proud of Barnaby Joyce, very proud of the fact he clarified the situation.”
The Australian reported on Saturday that Senator Hanson had been caught out misleading voters over why she had not yet costed her signature policies, including her $70bn income splitting taxation plan.
Senator Hanson has repeatedly defended not having costed One Nation’s signature tax policy, income splitting, arguing the party was unable to use the Parliamentary Budget Office before the last election because it did not have enough MPs to be considered a formal party in Canberra.
The Australian has established that PBO rules allow any MP or senator to cost policies, rendering Senator Hanson’s excuse invalid.
Opposition Treasury spokesman Tim Wilson said the Coalition’s plan to phase out social security benefits for non-citizens would be grandfathered.
“We won’t be forcing them to sell their homes nor expelling them out of the country like Barnaby Joyce is floating,” Mr Wilson said.
“Our focus is on how we make sure that people come to Australia, they commit to Australia, and they contribute to Australia.”