Tourists to Australia would have social media accounts vetted under Trumpian Coalition plan

Angus Taylor will use a speech at the Menzies Institute to pledge new funding to track down, arrest and deport non-citizens who have exhausted their legal appeals to stay in Australia. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP View image in fullscreen Angus Taylor will use a speech at the Menzies Institute to pledge new funding to track down, arrest and deport non-citizens who have exhausted their legal appeals to stay in Australia. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP Tourists to Australia would have social media accounts vetted under Trumpian Coalition plan In hardline rhetoric, leader Angus Taylor also says ‘many’ prospective migrants would be a ‘net drain’ on the country Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast A Coalition government would end Australia’s non-discriminatory immigration program and introduce Trump-style social media vetting for visa applicants, as Angus Taylor accuses Labor of allowing migrants of “subversive intent” into the country. As the opposition loses support to Pauline Hanson’s One Nation, Taylor says too many people seek to use Australia’s generosity “for self-serving purposes”, promising to speed up rejections of asylum seekers from countries deemed safe to return to. Providing the first detail of the Coalition’s new hardline immigration policy, Taylor will use a speech at the Menzies Institute on Tuesday night to pledge new funding for law enforcement agencies to track down, arrest and deport non-citizens who have exhausted their legal appeals to stay in the country. Anyone applying for a visa, including tourists, would have to submit their social media accounts for tough vetting, like rules put in place by US President Donald Trump in December. The details of the policy, which go further than a plan leaked at the height of moves to roll former opposition leader Sussan Ley, include reassessing more than 2,000 Palestinians issued visas after the 7 October terror attacks and the war with Hamas. Taylor will say Australia has for too long “turned a blind eye to a reality of immigration and integration” and claim “Australians are fed up with politically correct preaching” on overseas arrivals. “Those who migrate from liberal democracies have a greater likelihood of subscribing to Australian values compared to those migrating from places ruled by fundamentalists, extremists and dictators,” he says. “In that vein, the cohort of Gazans let into Australia following the 7 October attacks present a clear risk to our country. “They come to our country from a society run by the barbaric Islamist terrorist organisation of Hamas – an organisation that has sought to indoctrinate and radicalise their entire population to accept fanatical violence as normal, especially the genocidal slaughter of Jews.” Despite the group already undergoing vetting by Asio and the Department of Foreign Affairs, Taylor says they must be “re-assessed entirely with far greater scrutiny”. The policy would also make compliance with the government’s Australian values statement a binding requirement for visa holders, including prescribing behaviours that would constitute breaches of the rules. Anyone failing to uphold values outlined in the statement – including respect for the rule of law, tolerance and compassion, equal opportunity and English as the national language – would face removal from the country. A new “safe country list” would be introduced, to fast-track refusals for asylum claims from countries deemed safe to return to. The list would be based on a similar list used by UK authorities and would be administered by the Home Affairs Department. Controversial temporary protection visas – abolished by Labor in 2023 – would be restored, and legal aid funding for visa holders would be restricted. Non-citizens would also have to wait longer to access social security support under the plan. A Taylor government would establish new enhanced screening coordination within Home Affairs, and better integrate intelligence and enforcement capabilities from Asio, the federal police and Border Force. Taylor will use the speech to make the case for a policy that can “discriminate based on values.” “Our nation has paid the price for believing that anyone, from anywhere, will embrace our way of life,” he says. “Not everyone wanting to migrate to Australia has a noble intent. Not everyone wanting to migrate to Australia will be a net benefit to Australia – indeed, many will be a net drain.” He blames migrants for the “erosion of national culture and the Balkanisation of communities” around the country, Liberal and Nationals hardliners will like the policy, but it could further alienate multicultural communities the Coalition has lost in recent elections and further marginalise moderate MPs representing diverse electorates. “It’s time to take back control from the technocrats, bureaucrats and activists,” Taylor says. “We’re not going to tolerate overstayers who refuse to hop off the appeals merry-go-round despite being told they have no legal right to stay in Australia.” Taylor is expected to announce more details of the policy in coming weeks and months. Explore more on these topics Australian immigration and asylum Angus Taylor Liberal party National party Australian politics Coalition Migration news Share Reuse this content