The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, has just held a press conference where she was asked about the federal Coalition’s new hardline immigration policy. She replied:

“Well, it’s clear that Angus Taylor and his Victorian Liberal leader colleague are too scared of One Nation and are too weak to stand up and fight for what matters. Unity and cohesion in this state and this country is what matters and is what important.”

She described the plan as an “extreme race-based migration policy that’s straight out of the Donald Trump playbook” that “just brings division”. Allan went on:

“This is the path of the federal and Victorian Liberal leadership and Liberal parties as they chase One Nation votes further and further to the extreme, because they are too weak to stand up and fight for what’s right and what’s important.

A migration policy that would exclude people and families from China, from Vietnam, from Muslim countries, from Lebanon – this is not what standing for Australia and standing for Victoria looks like. It’s being too weak to stand up to Pauline Hanson and One Nation.”

Garud