Turnbull defends Dutton on Muslim migrants

Malcolm Turnbull has defended Peter Dutton against a Labor ­attack over his remarks on the Lebanese Muslim community.

Immigration Minister Peter Dutton.

Malcolm Turnbull has defended Peter Dutton against a Labor ­attack over the Immigration Minister’s remarks on the Lebanese Muslim community amid an ­escalating dispute over claims of past “mistakes” in Australia’s ­migration intake.

The Prime Minister heaped praise on Mr Dutton as a “compassionate” minister in the face of Labor demands that he reject comments that drew a link ­between the 1970s migrant intake and terror threats today.

Mr Turnbull avoided any endorsement of Mr Dutton’s comments but also fended off several attempts yesterday to get him to rebuke the minister, declaring he was “not making any comment on his remarks” other than to say it was right to learn from past policies. The Prime Minister’s ­attempt to tread a middle path sparked simultaneous criticism in the media yesterday that he failed to support his minister’s argument or failed to call out a slur on an important community. The row centred on a remark by Mr Dutton on Sky News last week that Malcolm Fraser and his government “did make mistakes in bringing some people” into Australia in the 1970s.

Challenged on that remark in parliament on Monday, Mr Dutton rejected Labor claims he was referring to the Vietnamese and said the country needed to speak frankly about problems in the Lebanese Muslim community.

His key claim was that 22 of the last 33 people charged with terrorist offences in Australia had come from second and third generation Lebanese Muslim backgrounds, although at the same time he praised the contribution of ­migrants including those from Lebanon. “Many people who have built this country over many decades deserve to be praised, but I am going to call out those people who are doing the wrong thing,” he said.

Lebanese Muslim Association president Sameer Dandan said the remarks showed the government was unable to embrace multiculturalism.

Melbourne MP Michael Sukkar, who comes from a Lebanese Maronite family, told the partyroom that the Coalition should not be cowed by political correctness. Mr Sukkar argued that if a ­community representing 0.01 per cent of the population accounted for 66 per cent of those recently charged with terrorist offences then the problem should be ­debated.