Joyce says One Nation doesn't support White Australia policy

One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce has clarified that his party does not endorse the White Australia policy, distancing himself from recent statements made by party leader Pauline Hanson. Hanson had suggested on a podcast with UK activist Tommy Robinson that the end of the White Australia policy contributed to Australia's current migration challenges.

“

It's a statement of fact that, and Pauline herself said, it started from [former PM Harold] Holt actually, the wind down of the White Australia policy, a very good thing, and at the start there was really no issues with it.

Joyce described the end of the White Australia policy as "a very good thing." He acknowledged that while initially there were no issues, over time, "a section of people" arrived in Australia who did not assimilate or adhere to Australian norms. He expressed concern that this has led to a shift away from traditional Australian culture, requiring the embrace of diverse views that may not always be conducive to an "egalitarian, easy going society."

Earlier, Pauline Hanson had appeared to back a policy of mass deportation, though she later clarified this referred to illegal immigrants. When pressed on how such a policy would be enforced, Joyce suggested deportees would be "put on a plane and send them back to where they're from."

“

But overtime, we got a section of people who didn't want to assimilate with Australia, didn't work within the guardrails of Australia and therefore we started moving away from an Australian culture to having to encompass a whole range of views, some of which are just not conducive to an egalitarian, easy going society.

Meanwhile, Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek criticized Hanson's recent comments, comparing the One Nation leader to a toddler. Plibersek stated that Hanson's remarks on a Seven's Spotlight program clearly indicated support for mass deportations and linked Australia's migration problems to the abolition of the White Australia policy. Plibersek also noted Hanson's past criticisms of paid parental leave and her accusations of workers being lazy, contrasting this with her portrayal as a supporter of the "Aussie battler."

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I think it's extraordinary that whenever she gets challenged on...