A Liberal senator has broken ranks to criticize Angus Taylor's plan to bar non-citizens from accessing welfare, warning it will create 'two types of members of the community' and is 'not the Australian way'.
Outspoken backbencher Andrew McLachlan says migrants should not be blamed for economic problems including the housing crisis, and warns his party's immigration rhetoric is alienating diaspora communities.
The opposition leader brushed off his colleague's concerns as he defended the use of the phrase 'mass migration' to describe the rate of overseas arrivals.
'It [the rhetoric] only alienates the government that has got it wrong, this is nothing to do with [migrant] communities,' Taylor told reporters on Tuesday.
Taylor made immigration a centrepiece of his budget reply speech last week.
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In pictures
'I had tea with Flea' … singer-songwriter and rapper Ecca Vandal. There's been a lot of love coming the way of musician Ecca Vandal of late, thanks to a run of standout singles including Cruising to Self Soothe and Bleed But Never Die. The genre-defying punk-rap star talks about her new album, going offline – and having tea with Flea.
What they said …
'Israel is able to commit acts of piracy and kidnapping in international waters with complete impunity because countries like Australia refuse to stand up for their citizens.' – Senator Mehreen Faruqi, the Greens' deputy leader and spokesperson for international aid and global justice. Eleven Australians attempting to deliver aid to Gaza as part of a global flotilla have been detained by Israeli forces in international waters off the coast of Cyprus, with the government 'urgently seeking' confirmation of their welfare.
Patrick Radden Keefe on power and greed in London – Full Story podcast
In Sydney before his Australian book tour, investigative journalist Patrick Radden Keefe speaks to Reged Ahmad about his Australian roots and new book, London Falling, which examines the mysterious death of a teenager who posed as a Russian billionaire and his family's search for truth about the end of their son's life.
Before bed read
Guardian Australia's Julia Hollingsworth learned to drive in her mid-30s. After months of frustration, tears, humiliation and four failed attempts, she got the news she wanted to hear: 'Congratulations. You've passed.'
Daily word game
Today's starter word is: BUST. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word.
