Fact-checking Fraser Anning’s controversial ‘Final Solution’ speech

FRASER Anning’s controversial “final solution” speech wasn’t just offensive — large chunks of it were factually incorrect.

FRASER Anning’s controversial speech in parliament this week wasn’t just offensive — large chunks of it were plainly incorrect.

The Katter Party Senator’s maiden speech has united all sides of politics in condemnation of his comments about immigration, Muslims and a reference to Adolf Hitler’s “Final Solution”.

Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg, who is Jewish, was brought to tears in the House of Representatives yesterday and later crossed the chamber to embrace Labor’s Ed Husic, who is Muslim.

Opposition MP Anne Aly, a Muslim anti-terror expert, delivered an impassioned speech saying she’s tired of fighting hatred.

Even Pauline Hanson, known for her hard-line views on migration and Islam, said the remarks crossed a line.

But for all the hurt, how many of Mr Anning’s claims were based on fact? Not many, it seems.

MUSLIM IMMIGRATION

In his speech, Mr Anning claimed that the majority of Australians want to see a reduction in the number of Muslim people allowed to immigrate.

However, research by Monash University has found that 80 per cent of people favour immigration policies that are non-discriminatory.

Speechwriter Richard Howard, far right, watches Senator Fraser Anning deliver his first speech to the Senate.

The study found that negative attitudes towards people of the Muslim faith was less than 25 per cent.

And only 15.8 per cent of people think religion or race should be a factor in deciding an immigration application.

He also claimed that the 457 visa classification allows foreigners to “steal jobs from Australians”, but that visa class was discontinued by the Government last year.

And Mr Anning claimed that Australia’s immigration policies were set “on a whim”. In reality, governments carefully set the number of people allowed to enter the country in various visa classes.

Almost two-thirds of those who immigrate to Australia are skilled migrants.

THE BOURKE STREET INCIDENT

Mr Anning made remarks about the Bourke Street incident in January 2017, when six people were killed and others injured after a car ploughed into pedestrians in Melbourne’s CBD.

James Gargasoulas is taken from a prison van into the Supreme Court of Victoria. Picture: AAP

In referring to the incident, Mr Anning called it an act of terrorism perpetrated by a Muslim.

The accused, James Gargasoulas, is Australian-born and of Greek descent. He is not a Muslim, nor does he have any connection to terrorism.

Police do not consider the Bourke Street incident an act of terrorism.

MUSLIMS AND CRIME

Mr Anning made an extraordinary claim that Muslims in Victoria and NSW are three times more likely to be convicted of crimes.

No available crime data supports this assertion. Authorities in both states don’t publish statistics on the religion of offenders.

Reporters have pushed Mr Anning on the basis of this claim, but he has not commented.

Josh Frydenberg crosses the chamber to embrace Ed Husic as the House of Representatives condemns Senator Fraser Anning's first speech pic.twitter.com/KtVOVbCbOr

— Alex Ellinghausen (@ellinghausen) August 15, 2018

AFRICAN GANGS

In wading into the complex, so-called “African gang” issue in Melbourne, Mr Anning made the assertion that those people are Muslim.

In an interview on 3AW in Melbourne yesterday, Mr Anning continued to make a number of factually incorrect statements.

“Do you think it’s a good idea to bring them into the country? I’d deport them,” he told Neil Mitchell.

Senator Fraser Anning is questioned by the media in the wake of his controversial maiden speech. Picture: Kym Smith

Mr Mitchell pointed out that most of the people referred to as being part of the “African gang” issue are Australian-born.

And Mr Anning repeated his claim that the offenders are Muslim, despite most South Sudanese people identifying as Catholic.

IGNORANT ON ‘FINAL SOLUTION’

In the wake of the speech, Mr Anning’s office insisted he did not mean to invoke the Nazi Party’s “Final Solution” policy — which culminated in the Holocaust.

He used the contentious phrase in calling for a referendum on Australia’s immigration approach, calling for the White Australia policy, which ran from 1949 to 1973, to be reinstated.

An emotional Josh Frydenberg in the House of Representatives on Wednesday. Picture: Kym Smith

The speechwriter said to have penned Mr Anning’s maiden speech is Richard Howard. He was an adviser to former One Nation Senator Malcolm Roberts, who was caught up in the dual-citizenship fiasco.

In an interview with The Australian yesterday, Mr Roberts said his former staffer was “fascinated with Nazi Germany and authoritarian ­approaches and decisive rulers”.

Mr Howard has denied he is an extremist.