A senior Liberal backbencher has urged his party to show restraint in the debate over Australia’s immigration settings, warning that careless language could alienate multicultural communities and inflame public sentiment.
South Australian Senator Andrew McLachlan said repeated references to “mass migration” were misleading and risked feeding harmful narratives at a time when the Coalition is preparing to thrash out the principles that will shape its future immigration policy.
Writing on X, Senator McLachlan quoted Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.: “Speak clearly, if you speak at all. Carve every word before you let it fall.”
He added: “Words are powerful. They can be a force for good or bad. In comments to @GuardianAus, I expressed concern about the repeated use of the term ‘mass migration’ in the national debate on immigration.”
“The phrase is not only technically inaccurate; it is inflammatory and irresponsible. When misused, language like this risks alienating communities and distorting the very issues we are tasked with addressing.”
Senator McLachlan also referenced recent data highlighted by Treasurer Jim Chalmers:
“We are now 17,000 people lower than the Treasury forecast for net overseas migration and 40% below the peak that we saw in that overseas migration following Covid.”
He emphasised that immigration policy required “a respectful and honest conversation—not slogans, but facts; not division, but leadership.”
In comments to Guardian Australia, Senator McLachlan described the phrase “mass migration” as “technically inaccurate” and “extremely unhelpful”, cautioning colleagues that the tone of the internal debate mattered as much as the policy itself.
“Its use in this debate is irresponsible and inflammatory,” he said. “Every member and senator has a duty to lead public opinion, not to merely reflect the divisive sentiments of the very few.”
“The many wonderful communities that make up modern Australia will be disappointed with us should we fail to debate this topic in a respectful and honest way befitting a party that aspires to government.”
His remarks underline a simmering unease among some Liberal MPs, who fear discussions could deepen internal fractures reminiscent of the Coalition’s bruising clash over net zero emissions policy.
Senator McLachlan was reportedly involved in a heated closed-door exchange last week as the Coalition considered its stance on a One Nation Senate motion that partly blamed “mass” migration for Australia’s housing shortage. The Coalition ultimately rejected the motion and reaffirmed its opposition to a separate One Nation bill calling for a national plebiscite on a five-year “zero net migration” policy—distancing itself from Pauline Hanson’s far-right agenda.
While Senator McLachlan did not name particular colleagues or groups, his intervention is seen as a direct plea for a more measured conversation as the Coalition navigates one of the most politically sensitive issues ahead of the next election.
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