2 WORLDS COLLIDE PODCAST

That the Government is seeking to make this an issue shows how desperate they are to find any distraction from their aspiration-killing Budget and the pressures Australians are facing right now.

On the Two Worlds Collide podcast I was asked a nearly 700-word, wide-ranging question covering multiple issues, which the interviewer himself concluded by saying: “I mean that’s a lot of information” — and I agreed that it was.

My response was to that remark. It was not intended as an endorsement of every point raised across a lengthy monologue.

The broader discussion was about migration pressures, housing and social cohesion. Labor has brought in a record — and unsustainable — 1.4 million people in four years and Australians are rightly concerned about the impact that has on housing, infrastructure and the cost of living.

I was very specific in my remarks that people who come to Australia should adopt Australian values, contribute positively and support social cohesion. I also made clear in the interview that Australian identity should not be defined on ethnic grounds.

In no way were my remarks in the podcast endorsing discrimination based on race, ethnicity or religion. That is evident in the answer I provided and the broader context of the discussion.

ENDS