We are not in Trump's America': migrant groups say Angus Taylor in race to bottom with far right

"Anthony Albanese has accused Angus Taylor of copying One Nation and dog-whistling to marginalise immigrants to Australia, as the Coalition seeks to cut social benefits and government programs for permanent residents. Delivering his budget reply speech on Thursday night, the opposition leader announced plans to slash immigration and restrict welfare programs to citizens only. This would cut access to the national disability insurance scheme, jobseeker and other safety nets from permanent residents who could be living in Australia and paying tax for years."

"There are already years-long waiting periods for non-citizens to access such payments, meaning the plan may have relatively little impact. Labor on Friday savaged Taylor for taking aim at migrants after previous plans to restrict first home buyer grants to citizens. The prime minister claimed the Coalition was imitating One Nation's hardline anti-immigrant stance. This is the tail wagging the Coalition dog and dog is an appropriate term, because a lot of the speech was about dog-whistling, Albanese said."

"I wonder what the distinction between Australians and migrants is, because I've never seen that used before in a country like ours. We have people who are in senior positions in our government, in business, some of the giants of business in this country came here as refugees and as migrants. Are they separate from Australians? Sign up for the Breaking News Australia email Taylor defended his stance on Friday, saying new migrants automatically get access to some welfare benefits, which he called completely inappropriate."

"But on ABC radio, Taylor was factchecked by host Melissa Clarke, who pointed out the jobseeker payment had a four-year waiting period, while the age pension and disability support pension had a 10-year waiting period. Taylor responded: Sure, but citizenship has got to mean something. We want people to aspi"

Anthony Albanese accused Angus Taylor of copying One Nation and using dog-whistling to marginalise immigrants. The Coalition’s budget reply speech proposes cutting immigration numbers and restricting welfare programs to citizens only. Permanent residents who have lived in Australia and paid tax for years would lose access to payments such as the National Disability Insurance Scheme and jobseeker. Non-citizens already face long waiting periods for these benefits, which may reduce the immediate impact. Labor criticised Taylor for targeting migrants, referencing earlier plans to restrict first home buyer grants to citizens. Taylor defended the approach by saying new migrants automatically receive some welfare benefits, while a radio fact-check noted long waiting periods for jobseeker, age pension, and disability support pension.

Read at www.theguardian.com