Opposition Leader Angus Taylor has repeatedly refused to say whether the Coalition still supports multiculturalism, sidestepping direct questions as One Nation intensifies its call for Australia to become a “monoculture.”
Pressed multiple times on whether the Coalition would maintain its long‑standing backing for multiculturalism or shift toward One Nation’s position, Taylor declined to give a clear answer. Instead, he said the culture he wanted to see was one grounded in “Australian values.”
“You explain to me what you mean by that,” he said. “There are all these vague words running around. The one thing I want all of us to share is those core Australian values.”
His comments came as One Nation leader Pauline Hanson renewed her argument that multiculturalism has failed, claiming social cohesion is impossible “if people can’t speak the language.” She insisted that opposing multiculturalism is “common sense,” not racism, and pointed to Japan as her model for a monocultural society.
However, Japan’s own policy tabunka‑kyosei, or “multicultural coexistence” expects immigrants to learn Japanese and follow local customs while still formally recognising cultural differences. Even so, Hanson argued Australians should “blend in,” saying, “You’re an Australian first.”
Outgoing Shadow Home Affairs Minister Jono Duniam distanced himself from Hanson’s proposal, telling the ABC he did not understand what a monoculture would even entail. “Must we all dress the same, believe the same religion? It’s a bizarre concept,” he said. “The success of multiculturalism has depended on our capacity to accept differences and focus on what unites us.”
The debate has exposed widening ideological tensions on the right, with Taylor’s refusal to clarify the Coalition’s stance leaving the party’s position increasingly uncertain.
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