Former Australian prime minister Paul Keating has launched a scathing attack on Liberal leader Angus Taylor, accusing him of adopting racist immigration policies to appeal to One Nation voters. In a statement, Keating said Taylor's plan to adopt Trump-style ICE policies to 'boot out' those who fail to adhere to 'national values' is at odds with an immigrant nation.
Keating criticised Taylor for standing alongside former prime minister John Howard at the policy launch, describing Howard as 'Mr Racial Opportunism' for his past anti-Asian migration stance and the 2001 Tampa incident. He argued that Taylor has walked away from the best instincts of the Liberal party, naming figures like Robert Menzies, Harold Holt, Malcolm Fraser, Andrew Peacock, Brendan Nelson, and Malcolm Turnbull.
The former Labor leader expressed disappointment, noting that many had hoped Taylor would fight One Nation with principled conservatism. Instead, Keating labelled Taylor's move as 'cowardice' and accused him of falling back on racism as a default policy. He called racism 'absurd' and 'abhorrent,' dismissing the notion that some people are inherently different.
Keating defended Australia's two-party system, which he said has fostered equality and justice, creating one of the most open and decent societies globally. He condemned Pauline Hanson's 'dumb bigotry' for offering a fantasy of returning to a monoculture, arguing that Australia cannot turn its back on multilateralism or the vitality of neighbouring states.
