Heated debate over the government’s citizenship test and 457 visa changes dominated Monday night’s Q&A program on the ABC, with the Australian feminist and writer Germaine Greer saying the changes were motivated by fear of “the caricature of Islam”.
However, the assistant immigration minister, Alex Hawke, denied the changes were designed to boost the Coalition’s prospects in the polls. He also denied the new citizenship test, which will reportedly include questions on female genital mutilation, child marriage and domestic violence, was targeted at any particular religion.
“It isn’t about a particular religion or race,” Hawke said. “It is about people realising they come from all over the worlds with cultures and different backgrounds. It is about saying the Australian culture doesn’t accept these things and if you want to become Australian you have to assimilate and integrate into the Australian society.”
Values is something the world cares about, says @chygovera. @Tony_Burke, @HumanHeadline & Greer raise targeting Islam in the test #QandA pic.twitter.com/ReMfZ4gdba
— ABC Q&A (@QandA) April 24, 2017
Is the turmoil between Abbott & Turnbull going to cost you government? @AlexHawkeMP & the #QandA panel responds pic.twitter.com/TLVaw7XvY4
— ABC Q&A (@QandA) April 24, 2017
The manager of opposition business, Tony Burke, said the government’s current rhetoric appeared designed to malign poor people and immigrants. He repeatedly criticised the government’s linking of the new citizenship test with national security, questioning how it would protect Australia when those who sit it would already be permanent residents.
“It might still be sensible, and there might still be aspects that are sensible, but the rhetoric claiming somehow people who are permanent residents and they’ve had their security checks and we have decided that they are fine to live here but if we make them citizens they are suddenly dangerous, it is absurd,” Burke said.
Hawke also sought to deflect questions about the recurrent Abbott-Turnbull leadership speculation. He said some friction could always be expected between a leader and former leader, and prompted laughter when he encouraged the host, Tony Jones, to “go to the expert” for a comment, referring to Burke.
Burke likened unseating a first-term prime minister to an “entire Shakespearean tragedy”.
“People say ‘your worst day in government is better than your best day in opposition’,” Burke said. “That is not true. Your worst days is when your side is fighting. It is awful.”
Greer again made disparaging remarks about the fashion choices of a female political leader, this time criticising “those bloody leopard shoes” of the British prime minister, Theresa May.
Jones, was forced to gently steer the conversation away from the British leader’s fashion choices, hinting at the controversy Greer caused in 2012, when she criticised Julia Gillard’s jackets and referred to her “big arse”.
Greer was responding to a question on whether the leadership ructions between Abbott and Turnbull seemed distant to her, now that she was a dual British citizen preparing for the early general election.
Somewhat unexpectedly, Greer replied: “And with Theresa May still wearing those bloody leopard-skin shoes. I think they must be her lucky shoes. Do you remember when she first came into parliament they made a great fuss about her shoes?”
Time to stop having Germaine Greer on the show. What has she contributed? White saviour bullshit and commentary on female MP fashion #qanda
— Jill Stark (@jillastark) April 24, 2017
Oh, thank Coco Chanel. Germaine ihas become bored enough to ridicule the clothing of elite women. Go. #qanda
— Helen Razer (@HelenRazer) April 24, 2017
Jones reminded Greer of the earlier controversy caused by similar comments made on the show and she responded: “But this is the point with politics and trivia. Is anyone interested in the sniping between Tony Abbott and the prime minister?
“We could all wish that Malcolm somehow got his act together. He is infuriating because he is probably smarter then Abbott but you wouldn’t know it because he is afraid to say anything.”
Greer went on to compare Turnbull to the former US president Barack Obama, who she said couldn’t speak unless he was reading from a teleprompter.
Greer’s criticism of the speaking ability of Obama – widely regarded as one of America’s strongest orators – drew responses of “no, no” from the panel.
“Yes, yes. He was ineffectual, an ineffectual president,” Greer insisted.
The Zimbabwean activist and social entrepreneur Chido Govera spoke of her inspirational story that led her to helping hundreds of impoverished communities grow mushrooms using coffee waste.
Govera became an orphan at the age of 7, after losing her mother to Aids. She turned to begging, while helping to raise her brother and care for her grandmother. She experienced abuse from extended family members at the age of eight and was to be married off at the age of 10.
“I learnt to farm mushrooms when I was 11 years old. That is after I escaped being married off,” she said. “There was a moment when I realised by using what is available ... locally, I can start to change things. So I learnt to simplify the art of cultivating mushrooms so I can share it with all of the people who need it.”
How can foreign aid go to providing long term solutions for poverty? @chygovera and our #QandA panel responds pic.twitter.com/UJqyL9GBOl
— ABC Q&A (@QandA) April 24, 2017
She spoke of the need for foreign aid to be targeted to local, grassroots programs and to avoid money flowing to ineffective governments or foreign organisations.
Burke, a former agriculture minister, warned against the assumption that all Australian aid money was being wasted. He spoke of the “extraordinary” work of Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, which he said helped build capacity in local communities overseas, rather than simply handing out money.
