Bring on immigration debate but don’t stoop to Fraser Anning level

Senator Fraser Anning delivers his first speech to the Senate.

Fraser Anning’s first speech to the Senate was foolish, ignorant and offensive. Calling for the reimposition of the White Australia policy, calling for discrimination on ­ethnic grounds and calling for a ban on Muslims contradict the basic tenets of our liberal society.

His comments on radio were even more ignorant. His call for a “final solution” to the immigration problem through a plebiscite was ­incendiary. To use that term, in a discussion of ethnicity, though ­offensive, does not remotely make Anning a Nazi. However, he either did it ­deliberately, in which case it was a wicked and cynical ploy to draw attention to himself, or he did it unconsciously, which shows an astonishing degree of ignorance. He says it was not deliberate.

So it was right for all mainstream politicians to condemn the comments. Pauline Hanson rightly said they went far beyond anything she had ever said. Tony Abbott reaffirmed his support for a racially non-discriminatory immigration policy.

Malcolm Turnbull and Bill Shorten were also right not to spend any time on him in question time. What we need above all is a calm response that avoids elevating Anning ­beyond his status as a marginal idiot to a villain or a defending hero. It is right that we have a debate about immigration; it is absolutely wrong that we have that debate on Anning’s terms.

The tragedy of our politics today is that our liberal inheritance is being attacked by the Left and the Right. The great, historic triumph of liberalism was to remove considerations of ethnicity and race from civic life.

Elements on the Left have abandoned this core of liberalism and tried to put ethnicity, race and gender identity at the heart of every political debate. Yet there is ­increasingly a paranoid style on parts of the Right, too.

A number of folks on the Right repeatedly claim that merely calling for a cut in immigration gets them called racist. I cannot think of a single incident where that is true. Where the charge of racism is most often aired, and most often dishonestly, is when people discuss the immigration outcomes for particular groups. Yet that is a perfectly legitimate discussion. The Left is wrong to demonise this.

The Right, too, has obligations about the way the discussion is conducted. People shouldn’t be tarred with guilt by association. Some respect should be given to people’s sacred beliefs.

The most sensitive issue is Muslim immigration. Australian Muslims are a diverse group . Most are as law-abiding as anyone else.

Nonetheless, there is a legitimate debate to be had about the challenges of Islam co-existing with modern liberalism. The challenge is to have such a debate with basic respect and civility.

That should not be beyond us.