Penny Wong Rejects One Nation Call for Monocultural Society

Foreign Minister Penny Wong will deliver a speech in Sydney on Friday to criticize the far-right One Nation party's advocacy for a monocultural society. Wong argues that pursuing such a model would damage social cohesion, curtail international connections, and leave Australia vulnerable in a dangerous global environment.

Wong asserts that multiculturalism is the only state Australia has ever known and is essential to the nation's economic prosperity and resilience. She specifically links Australia's diversity and regional ties to its ability to secure energy supplies from Singapore, South Korea, and China following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

These remarks follow calls from One Nation leader Senator Pauline Hanson to sharply reduce migration and abandon multicultural policies. The political clash coincides with a surge in opinion polls showing One Nation equaling the government's support. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has also argued that the country has never been uniform in its makeup.