AARON PATRICK: Angus Taylor will have to reply to Pauline Hanson’s ‘monoculture’ declaration or perish

At some point, and probably pretty soon, Liberal leader Angus Taylor is going to have to explain if he agrees with Pauline Hanson’s wish for Australia to become a “monocultural” society.

For Mr Taylor to preserve his credibility as an alternative prime minister, he needs to articulate a sophisticated but straightforward answer to one of the most difficult questions facing all Western political leaders: how to manage large, non-discriminatory immigration programs.

On Tuesday, the question was put to him several times, including like this: “So, just to be clear, Mr Taylor, do you believe Australia should be a monoculture?”

“You explain to me what you mean by that,” he replied. “See, there’s all these vague words running around.”

As anyone who follows politics knows, the “vague words” were uttered last week by One Nation leader Pauline Hanson, who declared multiculturalism an “utterly flawed policy” and said, “Australians must live under the one cultural umbrella”.

Whether you agree or disagree, Senator Hanson wasn’t vague about her views on foreign cultures. Being direct and unafraid to offend some people has turned her into Australia’s most popular political leader.

New language

Climbing the mountain of public opinion requires clever politics as well as popular policies. By proposing adoption of an Australian “monoculture” — surely an unachievable aspiration given society’s diverse composition — Senator Hanson delegated the Coalition to the second-tier of the anti-immigration movement.

The Labor Government must recognise this. In the past week or two, Anthony Albanese and other ministers have begun referring to “three right-wing parties” rather than the Coalition and One Nation.

“Those opposite, in the three right-wing parties, all choose irrelevance,” he told Parliament yesterday. “The current leader of the Opposition, who, when asked a question about monoculturalism four times, couldn’t give an answer.”

The Prime Minister’s objective seems to be to associate the Liberal and National parties with One Nation’s more aggressive positions. By doing so, centrist voters might be scared away from the Coalition.

The tactic, which has been accompanied by criticism from conservative media outlets, must be frustrating for Mr Taylor. He was delighted with the positive response to his Budget-in-reply speech that took the Coalition deeper into anti-immigration territory, including a promise to restrict arrivals to the number of new homes built.

The political debate quickly shifted to increased taxes on property investments, which Mr Taylor should have been able to dominate given his professional experience as an economist and business adviser.

Instead of being strengthened by the Budget blow back, Mr Taylor almost appeared to fade into the background. A start-up and investor rebellion was more effective at forcing a partial backdown than the leader of the opposition.

In despair

Within the Coalition, morale is low and there is no agreement on how to fight the two fronts: One Nation on the right and the Labor Party on the left.

Coalition conservatives, led by former prime minister Tony Abbott, want to fight what is known as the culture wars. The party’s left, epitomised by shadow treasurer Tim Wilson, prefer to advocate for small business rather than complain about immigration or what Senator Hanson refers to as the “climate hoax”.

Both wings of the Coalition despair about their situation. One former Liberal MP said on Wednesday morning that, if an election was held now, the “Nats would be wiped out and many Liberals too”.

He argued the Coalition should “get back to fundamentals” by explaining how its philosophical commitment to individual liberties, free markets and smaller government will help all Australians, domestic and foreign born.

To be fair to Mr Taylor, he has expressed that sentiment recently and throughout his career. The problem is, caught between a Government with a dominant majority and a protest party with a huge following, no one is listening to the farmer from Goulburn.

For the record, Mr Taylor spelled out on Tuesday what he regards as the “core Australian values” he wants immigrants to uphold. They are a commitment to parliamentary democracy, the rule of law, basic freedoms and the equal respect and dignity of all Australians.

He repeated the comments on Wednesday morning on a Sydney radio station. “Enforcing that, and making sure that people who come to this country, contribute to this country and commit to it, that’s not a monoculture,” he said. “You can call that whatever you like but I call that common sense.”

Which sounds sensible, worthy and obvious. It would be hard to find a functioning democracy that would not feel the same way. A more powerful message is needed.

To win the nation’s respect, or at least its attention, Mr Taylor should clearly respond to Senator Hanson’s “monocultural’ vision of Australia.

Otherwise, how will voters know what he stands for?