Opposition leader Angus Taylor's characterisation of certain nations as 'bad countries' in the context of immigration policy has drawn a sharp rebuke from Iranian-Australian communities and multicultural advocacy groups across the country.
Angus Taylor's use of the phrase "bad countries" during a policy speech on border security and immigration reform has become a flashpoint in the ongoing debate about how Australia selects and screens its migrants. The remarks, made during a campaign stop in Western Sydney, were intended to justify the Coalition's proposed country-of-origin assessment framework — but the language itself quickly overshadowed the policy detail.
Iranian-Australian community leaders in Melbourne and Sydney were swift to condemn the characterisation. Spokespersons from several Iranian cultural associations pointed out the contradiction in labelling Iran a "bad country" while simultaneously acknowledging that Iranian migrants in Australia are among the most highly educated, professionally accomplished, and civically engaged communities in the country.
"We came here fleeing exactly the regime that Mr Taylor claims to be concerned about. To then be told our country is 'bad' — as though we are somehow tainted by it — is both hurtful and illogical."
— Iranian-Australian community representative, Melbourne
The backlash extended well beyond the Iranian community. Chinese-Australian, Afghan-Australian, and Pakistani-Australian organisations issued joint statements expressing concern that the "bad country" framing would be used to justify discrimination against migrants from Asia and the Middle East more broadly. Several Labor and Greens MPs called on Taylor to retract the remarks and apologise.
Taylor's office declined to walk back the language, instead issuing a statement arguing that the opposition's policy is about national security and "ensuring that Australia's immigration system works in the national interest." Critics, however, note that existing visa screening processes already include rigorous security and character checks — raising questions about what the new country-based layer would actually add beyond racial profiling.
The controversy arrives at a sensitive moment, with the federal election campaign in full swing and migration policy emerging as one of the defining battlegrounds. Polling consistently shows that while Australians support controlled immigration, they also strongly value multiculturalism — a tension that both major parties are navigating with varying degrees of care.
