Stefan Postles/Getty Images Scott Morrison After winning the Liberal leadership, former treasurer Scott Morrison addressed the media ahead of his swearing in at Government House as Australia’s 30th Prime Minister. This is his address, including comments from questions by journalists. It has been edited slightly for clarity. There has been a lot of talk this week about whose side people are on in this building. And what Josh and I are here to tell you, as the new generation of Liberal leadership, is that we are on your side. That’s what matters. We’re on your side. We’re on your side because we share beliefs and values in common, as you go about everything you do each day. Getting up in the morning, getting off to work, turning up onsite, getting the parent you’re caring for up in the morning, exchanging that smile, each and every day. Getting the kids off to school, getting home at night – perhaps, if you’re lucky, a bit of time together, those happy moments, too often too far between with the pressures that so many families face today. The Liberal Party is on your side. The National Party is on your side. The values and beliefs that we hold is what connects us all. If you have a go in this country you’ll get a go. There is a fair go for those who have a go. That’s what fairness in Australia means. This is something we hold very dear to us. It’s why we believe that Australians should keep more of what they earn. It’s why we believe that those who have come from so many different parts of the world to this country to create this country, and demonstrated that by their very actions, they have sought that fair go in this country as we all have whenever we got here – 10 generations ago or 10 minutes ago. We have come to have a go and we’ll get a fair go. That regardless of our ability or circumstances, we are here to make a contribution, rather than take one. That in order for you to do better, you don’t think someone else has to do worse. These are important values and principles that we believe deeply, that our party believes, that our Government believes, and will drive us. We believe that the best form of welfare is a job. That’s what releases people out of poverty. That’s what releases people out of hardship. The dignity of work, the ability to go and have choices as a result of the efforts you make regardless of your level of ability. It is one of the reasons I have always been a big fan of the National Disability Insurance Scheme, and why I have also always been so keen to ensure it is funded. Because I know that Scheme releases people with disabilities to be able to do what they want to do, and that is to make a contribution and to be able to take themselves forward, and their families. But everyone has to play by the rules in this country. Everyone. Whether you’re a big business, setting electricity prices, or loaning money, or you’re just someone parking in the street. We’ve all got to live by the rules of this country, the law of our land. These are values we uphold and it’s important that we do that right across our areas of policy. And that we believe that we should decide our own future as individuals, as families, as communities, and, of course, as a nation. We all want to be able to make our own choices in life. Whether it’s about who comes to our country, as John Howard famously said, or what school you want your kids to go to, or what team they want to follow – I suggest the Sharks. That’s not going to be a matter of national policy, I assure you. Particularly for Victorians. We believe in choice and because of that, it means we believe in our future. We are an optimistic, we are a passionate, and we are an ambitious people. Full of aspiration for ourselves, for our families, and, of course, for our great nation, for all of us. That’s what we believe as Liberals. Our plan, my plan for this country, is for an even stronger Australia. To keep our economy strong, to guarantee the essentials that Australians rely on. To keep Australians safe from terrorism and all the way to bullying in our schools. To keep our country together. To not pit one group of the Australians against another. To ensure that one can succeed, and all can succeed. That one doesn’t have to fail for another one to succeed. We have a lot of challenges as a country and we will get through them as we always have: together. Now, our job, particularly for Josh and I, as we take forward this new mantle of leadership as a new generation, is to ensure that we not only bring our party back together, which has been bruised and battered this week, but that will enable us to ensure we bring the Parliament back together, that we can continue to work to ensure that our country stays close together. We are a resilient bunch, Australians. I mean, the fact that we have had the longest running economic success of any nation in the world today is a tribute to the resilience of the Australian people. And they need that continued leadership to take them forward, not just on the economy, but on every aspect of Australian life that we feel so proud to be a part of, and that Josh and I feel so proud to lead. So, in making those statements about the direction, let me also tell you my immediate priorities. In addition, of course, to our economic and national security, is the drought. I have already discussed this, as Josh has said, with the leader of the National Party. This is our most urgent and pressing need right now, and I will be meeting with Major General Day as soon as possible to review our drought response plans and to hear from him, working with the Nationals and our regional and rural Liberal members to ensure that we do what is necessary to help our regional communities, our farmers, and all those affected. We will do what is necessary and co-ordinate with the states and territories. That will be my first focus, but there are many others, and I can take questions on that. Before I throw to Josh, let me say a few words about today, also. I want to start by thanking, and he still is, the Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull. I have known Malcolm for a long time, as you know. He has been a dear friend. He has served his country in a noble and professional way. Josh and I have watched and worked with him as he has led our Cabinet and the achievements we have been proud to serve with him as a Government, whether it is in the economy, whether it is in all the other areas that Malcolm has outlined today at his earlier press conference. He is a great Australian who has contributed a great deal to this country and our party and our nation will be very grateful for his contribution. I also want to thank Julie Bishop, and I’m sure Josh will remark on that as well. She has been a rock star for the Liberal Party, as a Foreign Minister, and for Twitter and Facebook. She has been an amazing contributor and driver of foreign policy, and an advocate for Liberal values from one end of this country to the other and one end of this world to the other. And we thank her for her service, and I will be talking to her, obviously, about what role she would like to play in the Government that we will now seek to put together. I also want to thank Peter Dutton for the service that he has provided.<doc-sep>The new leader in Canberra was a key member of the Turnbull government that, much to Beijing’s displeasure, introduced foreign interference laws. But he also has a history of talking up the two countries’ relationship<doc-sep>In a provocative first speech to Parliament, Queensland senator Fraser Anning has called for a return to a "European Christian" immigration system and a ban on Muslims migrating to Australia. Key points: Senator Fraser Anning says migrants should embrace the English language and Australian values Senator Fraser Anning says migrants should embrace the English language and Australian values He said the "final solution" to the immigration issue was a popular vote He said the "final solution" to the immigration issue was a popular vote The term "final solution" was used in Nazi Germany to describe the mass killing of Jewish people The Katter's Australian Party senator's praise for the White Australia policy has been swiftly condemned as "vile" and "bile" by his parliamentary opponents. "We as a nation are entitled to insist that those who are allowed to come here predominantly reflect the historic European-Christian composition of Australian society," he told the Upper House. "Those who come here need to assimilate and integrate." He said migrants should embrace the English language and Australian values, saying cultural diversity undermined social cohesion. "Ethnocultural diversity ... has been allowed to rise to dangerous levels in many suburbs," he said. "In direct response, self-segregation, including white flight from poorer inner-urban areas, has become the norm." The Queenslander called for migration numbers to be slashed, and a ban on Muslim people migrating to Australia. He said the Muslim community had "consistently shown itself to be the least able to assimilate and integrate". "I believe that the reasons for ending all further Muslim immigration are both compelling and self-evident," Mr Anning said. "The record of Muslims who have already come to this country in terms of rates of crime, welfare dependency, and terrorism are the worst of any migrant [group] and vastly exceed any other immigrant group." "The majority of Muslims in Australia of working age do not work and live on welfare." "While all Muslims are not terrorists, certainly all terrorists these days are Muslims, so why would anyone want to bring more of them here?" Senator Anning said "the final solution to the immigration problem of course is a popular vote". "We need a plebiscite to allow the Australian people to decide whether they want wholesale non-English speaking immigrants from the third world, and particularly whether they want any Muslims. "Or whether they want to return to the predominantly European immigration policy of the pre-Whitlam [Government] consensus." The "final solution" was a phrase used in Nazi Germany under Adolf Hitler to describe the mass killing of Jewish people. Later on Tuesday night, Senator Anning dismissed the criticism of his "final solution" phrase. "The 'ultimate solution' to any political question is always a popular vote." 'Vile, racist, bigoted, and has no place in our society' Loading Labor frontbencher Tony Burke slammed the Senator for invoking the phrase and labelled his speech "bile" against Muslim Australians. "Another speech belittling Australians, another speech dividing the nation, another speech wanting to incite debate," he told Parliament. Greens leader Richard Di Natale demanded an apology for the "vile comments". Loading "Referring to immigrants, particularly Muslim immigrants, with the same language that the Nazis used to discuss the extermination of Europe's Jews during the Holocaust is vile, racist, bigoted, and has no place in out society, let alone our Parliament," Dr Di Natale said. "Australia is a proud multicultural society that is made better every day by the contributions of immigrants." Labor Senate leader Penny Wong, who was born in Malaysia, rejected the speech. "My parents were married in the dying days of the White Australia Policy," Senator Wong said. "We've rightly consigned that policy to the dustbin of history." Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Alan Tudge, said Senator Anning's comments did not reflect the views of the Government. Senator Anning replaced One Nation's Malcolm Roberts in Parliament after Mr Roberts was found to be a dual citizen. Senator Anning's speech was reminiscent of Pauline Hanson's first speech as an MP in the mid-1990s. The One Nation founder called for multiculturalism to be abolished, saying Australia was in "danger of being swamped by Asians".<doc-sep>
03:59 Liberal MP Craig Laundy, a key backer of Malcolm Turnbull until the very end, has just been on 2GB radio, talking to Ben Fordham. “Mate, I am physically, mentally and emotionally absolutely annihilated,” he said. Fordham asked him what he thought of the result of the spill, and Laundy sighed for a long time. Then he said: “Um, I just, I have sat back this week and I have watched the party I love tear down a great man and a great friend and, geez, wow.” Fordham: “How’s Malcolm dealing with all of this?” Laundy: “You know what? He’s shattered, obviously, as anyone would be. Put yourself in his shoes. “But, mate, the thing that struck me, and I’ve had the privilege of having a seat at the table all week … and I think this is probably his barrister background, but in the middle of a crisis, mate, you know, he just stayed calm the whole way. “He’d turn to me and look at me and say, ‘they’ve lost their mind haven’t they?’ and I’d say “mate, I think they have, but you know we’ve gotta keep working through”.” Fordham asked him if Turnbull had reflected on the fact that he had torn down a first term prime minister, in Tony Abbott, and now it had happened to him, and that that would have instigated some of this week’s events. Laundy said: “Look no, but it obviously did [play a role, given] the personalities involved, and I’ve obviously been as involved in what’s happened today as in what happened to Tony Abbott. “But there’s one clear and distinct difference. When this happened with Malcolm in 2015, the backbench came to Malcolm in desperation. What’s happened this week is that the Dutton forces have gone to the backbench. “Now some of the behaviour this week, I had one female senator and two female members of the House, when it came to the letter, the petition, that were physically stood over to sign it, and they refused. “This is the sort of behaviour you had going on. “And I’m the federal minister for workplace relations, guess what? Parliament house is a workplace. That sort of intimidation and bullying is something you can actually file a claim against.” Fordham then wondered if Scott Morrison would be given some space and fresh air by the Dutton camp. Laundy said he hoped so. Laundy: “We need generational change in politics, because right now politics is broken, and I trace it back to, this is 10 years of tumultuous times, starting back in 2007 with the [Kevin] Rudd era. “The people that came in in 2013 and 2016, you know, inside my party but also across the chamber, inside our party at the moment you’ve got this great chasm of the left and the right, and historically those that are the senior leaders of both sides have been at each other’s throats for 20 to 30 years, but the hope of the [party] is the next generation. “The guys on the right of our party right now, the next generation – Michael Sukkar, Zed Seselja, Tony Pasin, these sorts of guys – are good mates of mine and the people on the left of the party that came in more recently. “We didn’t experience those first lot of horrible years. We’ve sort of inherited and watched on and now, I think hopefully with Scott [Morrison] and Josh [Frydenberg], is a generational change which I think’s needed. “Let’s hope.”