Former Australian Prime Minister John Howard has cautioned political parties against implementing country-specific immigration bans as a counter-terrorism measure, arguing that such policies are unlikely to be effective. Speaking in Canberra, the 87-year-old former leader addressed the ongoing debate over Australia's immigration settings ahead of the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States.
Howard's Discussion with National Security Expert
Howard participated in an hour-long conversation with Rory Medcalf, a national security professor at the Australian National University, on the evening before the anniversary. The discussion opened with a reference to the alleged terrorist attack in Bondi last year, before shifting to the question of whether immigration policies can effectively prevent potential terrorists from entering the country.
During the exchange, Howard acknowledged that the “law of averages” means some individuals with nefarious intentions may still enter Australia, but he expressed skepticism about the strength of the evidence linking immigration categories to terrorism risk. “I don’t believe the evidence is overwhelming,” he said.
Limitations of Country-Based Bans
Howard elaborated on his position, stating that while there is a strong public mood to prevent terrorism from entering under the cover of immigration, stopping immigration entirely is not a viable solution. He also noted the difficulty of implementing bans based on categories of immigration.
“But I think the mood is overwhelming that we have to try very hard to stop terrorism creeping in under the cover of immigration, and you can’t do it by just stopping immigration, and it’s very hard to do it by stopping categories of immigration,” Howard said.
Political Context and Existing Proposals
Howard specifically criticized the idea of banning migrants from any country with a reputation for terrorism, suggesting that such a policy could be far more restrictive than proponents imagine. “When some people say you stop it by saying ‘we won’t take migrants from any country that has got a reputation for terrorism’, well, it might be a lot more limiting than those people imagine,” he added.
Neither of Australia's major political parties has proposed a country-wide ban on permanent migration from specific countries. However, One Nation has expressed support for implementing migration bans on individuals from countries listed as “do not travel” by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Howard's remarks come as Australia continues to debate the balance between border security and immigration openness, with no immediate policy changes announced by either major party following his comments.
