Arabic version: انقسام في الائتلاف بشأن مقترح أندرو براغ للهجرة

According to The Guardian, Liberal senator Andrew McLachlan has backed shadow housing minister Andrew Bragg after a speech that prompted disagreement within the Coalition and a rebuke from opposition leader Angus Taylor.

At the National Press Club on Wednesday, Bragg proposed slashing the national construction code and suggested net overseas migration be reduced from about 300,000 to below 180,000 a year to match new housing construction. Taylor and other senior colleagues described the migration figure as Bragg’s “personal views”, saying Coalition policy had not been finalised. Shadow treasurer Tim Wilson said: “I don’t think you should bank that at all.”

McLachlan called Bragg’s address a “masterclass in thought leadership” and said every Coalition member should “follow his lead and discuss policy pathways openly”. Queensland senator Paul Scarr also praised the speech as “terrific”, saying it was high-level and reinforced core Liberal values. Other Liberals, however, were frustrated by the intervention, with one MP saying privately that colleagues were angry about a lack of discipline.

Bragg said a number of his ideas, including a specific migration target, had not been approved by shadow cabinet, but argued it was important to “move the debate on”. He said voters needed “ambitious policy for tomorrow, not micro-announcements for today that aim to please and appease”.

On Friday, Bragg corrected an answer he gave during an RN Breakfast interview about whether Australians should accept substandard homes under proposed construction-code changes. He said he had misheard the question and maintained homes built to a Basic Australian Standard would be “strong, safe and sound homes” with basic amenities. Nationals leader Matt Canavan opposed cuts to working holiday visas suggested by Bragg, while praising his “big ideas”, energy and enthusiasm.