Australia politics live: John Howard warns about limiting immigration; Barnaby Joyce says super plan to have ‘minute’ inflationary effect
Former Australian Prime Minister John Howard has cautioned against implementing blanket migration bans based on country of origin. He emphasized the difficulty of balancing national security with immigration policy.
Why it matters
The comments contribute to the ongoing national debate in Australia regarding immigration, border security, and the prevention of terrorism.
The former prime minister John Howard has warned political parties against banning migration from certain countries as the debate over Australia’s immigration settings continues .
The 87-year-old was in Canberra last night for an hour-long chat with Australian National University national security professor Rory Medcalf before the 25th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks in the US.
The discussion began with last year’s alleged terrorist attack in Bondi, before turning to whether immigration settings can prevent potential terrorists from entering the country.
Howard said the “law of averages” meant some people with nefarious intentions could enter the country but he did not believe the “evidence is overwhelming”.
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