Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott has argued that migrants to Australia should be encouraged to fully adopt the country’s values and heritage, warning against what he described as a growing culture of national self-doubt.
Speaking on John Anderson’s podcast, Abbott said most migrants are eager to integrate, even if that message isn’t always reflected by their so-called representatives.
“Well, the interesting thing is that when you actually speak to migrants, they love being in Australia and as far as they can, they just want to fit in,” he said. “Now, their leaders aren’t necessarily of that disposition because a lot of so-called community leaders basically want to turn migrant groups, particularly recent migrant groups, into victims.”
Abbott said the very act of migration is a vote of confidence in the country.
“Essentially every migrant who comes to this country is voting with his or her feet confidence in Australia, and so it should reassure us about the fundamental worth of our society,” he said.
He criticised what he sees as a shift in education and public discourse, away from a proud recounting of Australia’s democratic development and British legacy, towards an emphasis on guilt and grievance.
“Our kids are constantly indoctrinated about invasion day, our university students are constantly indoctrinated about the evils of the patriarchy and our environmental disfolation and so on,” he said. “Sure, some things we’ve got wrong, no doubt about that. But fundamentally what happened subsequent to the 26th of January 1788 was a very good thing.”
Abbott said Australians should stop being embarrassed about their British inheritance.
“I think we should cherish the fact that we were settled by Britain. We shouldn’t be embarrassed about the fact that we were settled by Britain,” he said. “By virtue of being settled by Britain—the country which has probably had more influence on the modern world than any other—we speak the world’s common language. We share in the heritage, the mother of parliaments, the rule of law, the scientific revolution, the emancipation of minorities. All of these things began and flourished first in Britain.”
He argued that this legacy should be extended to new Australians, regardless of where they come from.
“Regardless of the background of our migrants, regardless of what country they come from, their religion, their ethnicity, they should be encouraged to participate fully in that heritage—which has become their own heritage—because they need to join Team Australia rather than simply live in Hotel Australia.”
Abbott’s comments came during a broader discussion about national unity, culture, and the demographic shifts driven by immigration. According to ABS data, over 30 per cent of Australians were born overseas—double the rate of the United States or the United Kingdom. A further 20 per cent have at least one parent born overseas.
The former Prime Minister’s remarks reflect a concern that without a stronger cultural and civic narrative, growing diversity may come at the cost of cohesion. His proposed answer is not fewer migrants, but more pride in what he sees as Australia’s foundational values—and a clearer invitation for newcomers to make those values their own.
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