Paul Keating has spoken, and it's the same old script we've heard for decades.
In a blistering statement, the former Labor Prime Minister has accused Opposition Leader Angus Taylor of "cowardice," "embracing racism," and defaulting to the Liberal Party's supposed "default political policy: racism." According to Keating, Taylor's new migration plan — which puts Australian values at the centre, calls for lower overall numbers, stricter vetting (including social media checks), prioritising migrants from liberal democracies, and faster deportations of overstayers — is nothing more than shabby bigotry designed to steal votes from Pauline Hanson's One Nation. And, sadly, he is right.
Keating claims this approach betrays the Liberal tradition of Menzies and Holt, is at odds with Australia being an "immigrant nation," and echoes Donald Trump's supposed evil. He even drags in John Howard as "Mr Racial Opportunism" for good measure.
Yawn. Same old blah-blah.
What Taylor Actually Said
Taylor's policy isn't revolutionary — it's basic common sense that should never have been controversial:
Immigration numbers are too high and standards are too low.
Migrants should genuinely commit to core Australian values: rule of law, equality of men and women, freedom of speech and religion, a fair go, and integration into Australian society.
People who come with "subversive intent" or reject those values shouldn't be here.
English language proficiency matters for real integration.
Prioritise applicants from countries with compatible liberal democratic traditions.
None of this is "racist." It's national self-preservation. Every successful nation on earth has the sovereign right — and duty — to choose who joins it based on compatibility, skills, and willingness to assimilate. Japan, South Korea, and Singapore do it without apology. Australia used to do it too, before the multicultural experiment turned "diversity" into a sacred cow that could never be questioned.
Keating's Playbook: When in Doubt, Scream "Racism!"
Keating's attack is pure political theatre. For years, any attempt to discuss:
the strain of record-high migration on housing,
infrastructure,
wages,
social cohesion,
or the failure of integration in some communities
has been met with the same reflexive smear: "racist!"
It worked for a while. It shut down debate. It allowed governments of both colours to keep the migration tap wide open while regional and working Australians bore the costs — skyrocketing rents, crowded schools, stretched hospitals, and visible cultural fractures in some suburbs.
But the public is no longer buying it. One Nation's polling surge has the major parties running scared. Taylor's sudden interest in "Australian values" and tighter controls isn't principled leadership — it's damage control. The Liberals are waking in fright because voters are deserting to the party that has been consistent on these issues for decades.
Keating can call it "dumb bigotry" all he likes. Most Australians understand the difference between:
welcoming genuine contributors who embrace our way of life, and
importing large numbers from incompatible backgrounds who quietly (or not so quietly) reject equality, free speech, or secular law.
Not all cultures are equal in producing the tolerant, high-trust society Australians built. Pretending otherwise isn't compassion — it's national negligence.
The Real Cowardice
The real cowardice belongs to those who spent decades gaslighting the public. They told us unlimited migration and official multiculturalism would make us stronger, while trust eroded, parallel societies formed, and ordinary people were labelled bigots for noticing.
Taylor's plan is a small, belated step in the right direction. It still lacks the courage of full honesty — sharp overall caps, rigorous assimilation enforcement with real teeth, and an unapologetic defence of Australia's Western, Anglo-Celtic roots that made this country attractive in the first place. So, of course it is just a reaction to the rise of One Nation, but, too little, too late.
But even this modest shift has Keating reaching for the racism card. That tells you everything about how bankrupt the old elite consensus has become.
Australia doesn't need more lectures from retired former PMs about our "unifying values" while ignoring the lived reality of strained suburbs and fraying cohesion.
It needs leaders willing to put Australian citizens and Australian culture first — without apology.
Keating's blah-blah is tired, predictable, and increasingly irrelevant. The public is waking up. The question is whether the Liberals will follow through with substance, or just keep offering insincere half-measures until One Nation overtakes them completely.
The racism smear has lost its power. Australians want secure borders, real integration, and a nation that still feels like home. That's not bigotry. That's common sense. The Liberals, when in power failed to deliver, and if in power again, will repeat their past performance.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/paul-keating-accuses-angus-taylor-of-embracing-racism-over-migration-policy/news-story/f510bf1e49293a483dd0695f7c285db1