Barnaby Joyce says One Nation not anti-immigration: ‘That’s an absurdity’

One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce has denied his adopted party is against immigration, and says Australia needs migrants to build new homes.

The former deputy prime minister, who defected from the Nationals to join Pauline Hanson’s resurgent party in November, said on Wednesday immigrants were welcome as long as they benefit the economy and don’t end up “on social security or on the crime pages’’.

He made the remarks when asked about the issue during a doorstop interview, and said skilled migrants were needed to boost housing construction, Capital Brief reported.

“It’s not a case that we don’t believe in immigration,’’ Mr Joyce said.

“That’s an absurdity. We believe in appropriate immigration. If you need builders, go out and find builders. Don’t just say we are going to bring in a whole range of other people.”

Mr Joyce’s comments come despite growing anti-immigration sentiment driving a steady rise in One Nation’s popularity, with two major polls showing it leading the Coalition for the first time,

The most recent Newspoll had One Nation on 22% of the primary vote to the Coalition’s 21%, while a Redbridge/Accent poll published on Sunday put One Nation on 26%, seven points ahead of the now-fractured Liberals and Nationals.

On the key issues, the Redbridge poll found One Nation was seen as by far the best party to deal with immigration, up from 27% of voters in November to 35%.

Ms Hanson on Monday night announced the former South Australian Liberal senator Cory Bernardi would lead One Nation in the March state election and run for the upper house in what is set to be a test of the party’s poll numbers.

Mr Bernardi said on Tuesday he was “delighted to be part of a team that is going to bring a common sense approach and shake up politics in this state”, and blamed the “two-party duopoly” for the major issues faced by Australians.

One Nation is promising to deport 75,000 illegal immigrants, cap visas at 130,000 a year, deport any visa holder that breaks the law, refuse entries from nations “foster extremist ideologies that are incompatible with Australian values and way of life”, and introduce and eight-year waiting period for citizenship and welfare.

Header image: Left, Barnaby Joyce and Pauline Hanson (Facebook). Right, new-build Sydney suburb The Ponds (hidflect – X).

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