Brief
Taylor and Abbott cite Bondi massacre to justify migration clampdown
The opposition leader and former prime minister argue the December 14 Bondi attack drove a cultural and numerical push to lower net migration.
By Felo News Desk · Published
Opposition Leader Angus Taylor and former prime minister Tony Abbott said the Coalition’s plan to cut net migration to about 100,000 was driven by the Bondi massacre on December 14 last year, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
What happened
Taylor defended a target of 100,000 net migrants, promising an official cost‑ings package before the next election. Abbott echoed the claim that the terror attack at North Bondi sparked a “determination to retake control of our country”. Both men cited the incident while promoting the policy on Thursday in Sydney.
What the reports add
The article notes that Labor deputy leader Jane Hume claimed the government had hired “more advertisement executives than carpenters”, a charge the opposition rejected with data showing four times as many carpenters arrived in the past four years. A former bureaucrat, Abul Rizvi, had questioned the feasibility of the 100,000 target, prompting Taylor to stress the policy’s rigor.
What was said
Abbott told the SMH, “Because it was such a dismal milestone in our decline, for millions of Australians the Bondi massacre inspired a determination to retake control of our country.” Taylor said on Andrew Bolt’s News24 program, “It absolutely is both… we’ve seen people come to this country and get visas who should never have come… one of them was one of the shooters at North Bondi just before Christmas last year.”
How it came about
The migration proposal follows Taylor’s October 5 announcement to cut net migration to roughly a third of current levels, a move he said would ease budget pressures without harming the economy (Felo coverage). The policy is positioned as a response to both economic concerns and cultural anxieties amplified by the Bondi incident.
Key facts
- Angus Taylor pledged to deliver official costings for the 100,000 net migration target before the next election. (smh.com.au)
- Tony Abbott linked the Bondi massacre on December 14 to the Coalition’s migration clampdown. (smh.com.au)
- Labor deputy leader Jane Hume claimed the government hired more advertising executives than carpenters, a claim the opposition disputed with arrival data. (smh.com.au)
Sources
- [1] smh.com.au — originally reported as “Coalition migration policy: Angus Taylor, Tony Abbott link new targets to Bondi massacre”
