In the wake of Bondi — where two radicalised Islamist terrorists opened fire on Jewish Australians celebrating Chanukkah — we must be prepared to ask the hard questions about immigration: who we welcome, and how many we take.
This debate must be conducted with moral clarity. When it comes to our immigration program, Australia has every right to discriminate based on the risk an individual poses to Australians’ security and our way of life.
Australia has had a non-discriminatory immigration policy since the early 1970s. But, as former Prime Minister John Howard understood, Government’s first responsibility is to the Australian people.
That is why his 2001 statement remains the proper starting point: “We will decide who comes to this country and the circumstances in which they come.”
We must put the interests and rights of Australians back at the heart of our immigration policy and, in doing so, be willing to discriminate not on race, but on risk.
So what is “risk”?
In my maiden speech I stated that our immigration profile no longer reflects the careful planning or national interest that critically underpinned our migration success story.
In allowing this, we risk diminishing both the privilege of coming to Australia and the cohesion that has long made our multicultural society a strength, not a strain.
It is simply reckless to continue the mass injection of individuals, many of whom do not share Australia’s core values, and in turn risk our way of life.
Having studied in Europe, I have witnessed the pressures that arise when migration is poorly managed – rising social tensions, buckling infrastructure and divided communities.
Prospective immigrants must show a genuine and strong commitment to the values that have underpinned Australia’s success: democracy, the rule of law, and our basic freedoms.
If individuals do not share these foundations, then the door must be shut.
This includes the importation of foreign conflicts and ancient hatreds that fracture social cohesion and threaten the repeat of tragedies like we saw at Bondi on 14 December 2025.
When it comes to assessing and addressing these risks, the Albanese Labor Government has failed the Australian people. Our immigration numbers are too high, and our standards are too low.
This is a government that approved almost 3,000 visas for Palestinians from Gaza and the West Bank since the Hamas attack on Israel in October 2023.
In recent months we’ve seen the Government facilitating the return of ISIS members to Australia. These are people who chose to leave our great nation and join one of the most barbaric and hostile terrorist organisations ever formed. The Government should be pulling every lever it has to prevent their return, including the use of temporary exclusion orders.
Instead of shutting the door on those individuals whose ideology and hatred our soldiers have fought against, this Labor Government is receiving them with open arms.
These individuals are not welcome back in Australia, and they pose an enormous risk to Australians’ safety, social cohesion, and national security.
In the last two weeks, the Coalition introduced a bill to strengthen the laws that presently allow terrorism to backdoor its way into Australia through our migration program. This was blocked by Labor.
Australia has no obligation to assume the risks associated with welcoming individuals who do not share our values, or who pose a threat to our way of life.
Once someone is in Australia, it is extremely difficult — legally and practically — to remove them. That means we must err on the side of caution prior to the point of entry. If there is a sufficient risk, they must not be welcomed.
Caution and a willingness to discriminate on risk are not moral wrongs — they are the hallmarks of a responsible immigration policy that puts Australia’s safety first.
None of this is a negative message about immigrants. Immigration has helped build modern Australia and contributed enormously to our national success. Many of our small and family businesses right here on the Gold Coast tell me that they rely on immigration for skilled labour. Indeed, we would dishonour those who have sacrificed everything to come here if we fail to uphold the standards of the society they have embraced.
My own parents were immigrants. They worked hard, built a life here, and contributed to this country. Their story is repeated in families across Australia. Managed well, immigration can be a great national asset.
But Labor’s migration intake is far too high — almost one million people in just two years.
Even where the economic case for skilled migration is strong, the intake must be set at levels our country can sustain — and it must remain selective.
Australia should welcome those who contribute to our nation and share our values, but we must be prepared to exclude those who pose risks to our safety, cohesion, or way of life.
