Taylor's Immigration Plan: Values Test for Migrants

0:00It's April 15th. This is Sydney News today, AI-powered stories from your city. I'm Corey with the story. Coalition's Angus Taylor dropped the bold immigration plan this week, pushing to prioritize migrants from liberal democracies who align with Australian values. He wants to bake the existing value statement right into the Migration Act, making it grounds to cancel visas or deport folks who don't buy into. Freedom, rule of law, equality, and a fair go for all. The policy also rolls out a safe country list, like the UK's, to speed up projecting asylum claims from places seen as safe. Taylor argues current laws are too soft, letting in people from extremist regimes, and he'd make permanent residents learn English while delaying social security access for non-citizens. Labor is hitting back hard, with Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke calling it a desperate graph for one nation voters and a threat to Australia's. Multicultural vibe Multicultural Affairs Minister Anne Alley says it ditches non-discriminatory roots, though

1:03she backs basic English skills for integration. Cricket star Usman Khawaja blasted it online as appalling and discriminatory, urging Taylor to own up to targeting Muslims instead of vague terms like extremists or dictators. Taylor pointed to the Bondi beach attack, and Sharia views as examples where enforcement is needed now. This debates heating up ahead of elections, forcing both sides to defend their vision for who fits into Australia's future, will values get teeth, or is it just political noise? Stay tuned as it unfolds.