Taylor won’t say if he supports multiculturalism as Chalmers says he’s trying to ‘out-One Nation One Nation’

2:01 Jim Chalmers accuses Angus Taylor of trying to ‘out-One Nation One Nation’ – video Taylor won’t say if he supports multiculturalism as Chalmers says he’s trying to ‘out-One Nation One Nation’ Treasurer says Coalition playing ‘footsie with the monoculture language’ after Liberal leader sidesteps questions at press conference Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Angus Taylor has repeatedly refused to say whether he supports multiculturalism in Australia, sidestepping five questions at a press conference about his views and claiming “there’s all these vague words running around”. The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, accused the opposition leader of “playing footsie” with One Nation and Pauline Hanson’s call for a “monoculture” in Australia , as Labor ministers committed to backing multiculturalism. “One of the reasons why the Liberal party is dying in [Taylor’s] arms is because his efforts to out–One Nation One Nation are becoming increasingly pathetic,” Chalmers said in question time. Australia undergoing historic decline in support for multiculturalism amid rising fear and pessimism, poll finds Read more Hanson’s demands for a “monoculture”, from her speech at the National Press Club last week, have been met with opposition from other members of the Liberal party. The shadow minister, Jonno Duniam, on Monday called it a “bizarre concept” and spoke of the “success of multiculturalism”. Sign up for the Breaking News Australia email Hanson, in her National Press Club speech, claimed multiculturalism was a “failed policy” that gave all cultures the “equivalence to ours”. “Surely opposing that is not racist, it’s common sense,” she said. Hanson has not expanded on exactly what she meant by “monoculture”, but on Channel Seven’s Sunrise on Tuesday, she claimed her idea was “about being united as strong under the one culture”. “I’m not saying forget where you came from or your cultural background, by no means,” Hanson said. Hanson – who, in her first speech to parliament in 1996, infamously claimed Australia would be “swamped by Asians” – pointed to Japan, an historically ethnically homogenous country, as an example for Australia to follow. “Japan has a monoculture, so what’s wrong with Australia having a monoculture?” she said. Asked on Tuesday whether he supported the idea of a monoculture, Taylor did not confirm or deny, saying “the culture I want to see in this country is people in this country who believe in and support Australian standards… commitment to our parliamentary democracy, a commitment to the rule of law, a commitment to our basic freedoms, a commitment to equal respect and dignity with all Australians”. Asked whether he thought multiculturalism was an integral principle of Australian society, Taylor did not directly answer. Pressed further on whether he believed the set of values he outlined could coexist with multiculturalism, he answered: “I don’t quite know wha