Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. (Stefan Postles/Getty Images)Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull today (8 December) said his country will not consider a "burqa ban" despite controversial One Nation Senator Pauline Hanson hints on pushing such legislation into Parliament next year, media reported.
Hanson's push came in the same week when German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced her support for a ban on burqas, but Turnbull said Australia would not be following her lead in supporting a similar ban in Australia, Xinhua news agency reported.
Saying Europe's immigration situation was different to that in Australia, Turnbull said Australia's border protection programmes meant potential immigrants were carefully screened before entering Australia and pose no threat to the public. The prime minister said:
Obviously what you’re seeing in Europe is the consequences of uncontrolled, irregular migration. We’re a very generous and compassionate nation, we accept a lot of refugees, but the Australian people expect their government and not people-smugglers to decide who comes here.
An Appeal...
Dear Reader,
As you are no doubt aware, Swarajya is a media product that is directly dependent on support from its readers in the form of subscriptions. We do not have the muscle and backing of a large media conglomerate nor are we playing for the large advertisement sweep-stake.
Our business model is you and your subscription. And in challenging times like these, we need your support now more than ever.
We deliver over 10 - 15 high quality articles with expert insights and views. From 7AM in the morning to 10PM late night we operate to ensure you, the reader, get to see what is just right.
Becoming a Patron or a subscriber for as little as Rs 1200/year is the best way you can support our efforts.