pining for a time which has never existed
Australia's parliament became a theatre of identity and accountability on Tuesday, as Prime Minister Albanese pressed the opposition to declare where it stands on the nation's multicultural soul — a question that carries the weight of decades of migration, belonging, and political courage. Elsewhere, the figure of Ben Roberts-Smith, decorated soldier and accused war criminal, cast a long shadow over the opening of the nation's most sacred commemorative space, his absence from the war memorial as telling as any presence might have been. These two moments — one about who Australia chooses to be, the other about what it chooses to remember — arrived on the same day, in the same city, without resolution.
- Opposition Leader Angus Taylor refused six times to say whether he supports multiculturalism, leaving the government to frame his silence as a capitulation to One Nation's monocultural vision.
- The parliamentary chamber descended into repeated disorder — four MPs ejected, a speaker threatening 24-hour suspensions, and a question skipped entirely after Taylor asked the Prime Minister 'When will you stop lying?'
- Ben Roberts-Smith, charged with murdering five unarmed Afghan detainees, had secured special bail conditions to attend the war memorial opening as a Victoria Cross recipient, but fell ill and did not appear.
- NSW's state budget was condemned as a 'lost opportunity' on housing, with economic growth forecasts slashed from 2.5 percent to just 1 percent and warnings of a per capita recession on the horizon.
- A $184 million boost to domestic violence services offered one moment of consensus in a budget — and a parliament — otherwise defined by tension, constraint, and contested ground.
Parliament was in a foul mood on Tuesday. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese spent much of question time hammering Opposition Leader Angus Taylor for his refusal to defend Australia's multicultural character — a question Taylor had dodged six times at a press conference before even entering the chamber. Albanese accused the opposition of 'pining for a time which has never existed in this country,' while Treasurer Jim Chalmers went further, saying Taylor was trying to 'out-One Nation, One Nation' and that the Liberal Party was 'dying in his arms.' The attacks came in waves, and the chamber responded in kind.
The speaker ejected four MPs for interjecting — three from the Coalition, one from Labor — and threatened Taylor himself with a 24-hour suspension after he asked the Prime Minister 'When will you stop lying?', a phrase the speaker ruled a breach of 125 years of parliamentary tradition. Albanese's challenge to Taylor was blunt: stand up to One Nation, don't bend the knee when asked whether Australia should be monocultural.
Meanwhile, Ben Roberts-Smith — the 47-year-old former SAS soldier who holds the Victoria Cross and faces charges of murdering or ordering the murders of five unarmed Afghan detainees between 2009 and 2012 — did not attend the opening of the revamped Australian War Memorial. He had secured a bail variation days earlier specifically to attend as a Victoria Cross recipient. His barrister told the court he had fallen ill. Defence Minister Richard Marles had called the memorial 'the most sacred building in our country' and said the invitation was appropriate given Roberts-Smith's decoration. The invitation went unused.
On the domestic front, NSW's state budget was criticised as a 'lost opportunity' on housing, offering cost-of-living relief — a reduced road toll cap, a vehicle registration cut — but no structural support for developers. Economic growth forecasts were slashed from 2.5 percent to just 1 percent for 2026-27, and the opposition warned of a per capita recession. One genuine point of agreement was $184 million in new funding for domestic violence services, which workers' unions said would make a real difference. But the broader picture was one of caution — a budget, and a parliament, in no mood to offer more than it had to.
Parliament was in a foul mood on Tuesday. The chamber erupted repeatedly over multiculturalism, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese spending much of question time hammering Opposition Leader Angus Taylor for his refusal to defend Australia's multicultural character. Taylor had been pressed six times at a press conference before question time to say whether he supported multiculturalism. He dodged every time. By the time he took his seat in the chamber, Albanese was ready.
The government's line was sharp and unforgiving. Albanese said the opposition was "pining for a time which has never existed in this country"—a direct rebuke of Taylor's apparent sympathy for One Nation's monoculturalism agenda. Treasurer Jim Chalmers went further, accusing Taylor of trying to "out-One Nation, One Nation," saying the Liberal Party was "dying in his arms" because of these efforts to appease the far right. The attacks came in waves. When Taylor asked the PM "When will you stop lying?" Speaker Milton Dick threatened to suspend him from the chamber for 24 hours, citing 125 years of parliamentary tradition against using such language. The tension was real enough that Dick ultimately skipped Taylor's entire question.
Four MPs were ejected from the chamber for interjecting too much—three Coalition members and one Labor member. Liberal frontbencher Tony Pasin got the boot. So did Henry Pike. Nationals MP Alison Penfold was thrown out before she could even ask her question. The speaker was enforcing order with an iron hand, but the government was not holding back. Albanese told Taylor to "stand up to One Nation on something," to "not bend the knee" when asked basic questions about whether Australia should be monocultural. It was a direct challenge to the opposition leader's political courage.
Meanwhile, Ben Roberts-Smith did not attend the opening of the revamped Australian War Memorial in Canberra that evening. The 47-year-old former SAS soldier, who holds the Victoria Cross, had secured a bail variation just days earlier to be there as a Victoria Cross recipient. But his barrister told Downing Centre Local Court that Roberts-Smith had fallen ill and could not travel. Defence Minister Richard Marles had said it was "appropriate" that Roberts-Smith be invited given his Victoria Cross status, calling the war memorial extension "the most sacred building in our country." That invitation now sits unused.
Roberts-Smith faces serious charges. He was arrested in April and charged with murdering or ordering the murders of five unarmed detainees while deployed in Afghanistan between 2009 and 2012. He has categorically denied all allegations, saying he "always acted within my values, within my training and within the rules of engagement." The court heard arguments about his bail conditions, including where he should report to police. A compromise was reached: he will report to a NSW police station once a week and a Queensland police station twice a week, allowing him to live in south-east Queensland closer to family.
On the domestic front, NSW's state budget drew criticism as a "lost opportunity" for housing development. The budget forecast $8 billion less in projected stamp duty and land tax revenue over four years but contained nothing like last year's $1 billion pre-sale finance guarantee to help developers secure loans. Urban Taskforce Australia said it could only hope the government was "keeping its powder dry for pre-election announcements." Opposition leader Kellie Sloane endorsed some cost-of-living measures—reducing the road toll cap from $60 to $50, cutting vehicle registration by $100—but said they did not go far enough because they were temporary. The opposition warned the state was entering a "per capita recession," with population growth expected to exceed economic growth next year. The budget forecast economic growth of just 1 percent in 2026-27, down sharply from a December prediction of 2.5 percent.
One bright spot in the budget was $184 million in additional funding for frontline family and domestic violence services. The Australian Services Union, which represents domestic violence workers, said the boost would "make a difference" for workers on the frontline of the state's crisis. But the overall picture was one of constraint and caution, a budget that offered fairness measures without a growth story—and in a parliament where the government was clearly in no mood to give ground on anything.
Citas Notables
This is pining for a time that has never existed in this country.— Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, on the opposition's apparent sympathy for monoculturalism
Unlike this leader of the opposition, who allows the One Nation tail to wag the Liberal and National party dog, what we do is we stand up for our values.— Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, criticizing Taylor's approach to One Nation
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why did Albanese keep hammering Taylor about monoculturalism? It seems like an odd thing to spend so much question time on.
Because Taylor wouldn't answer a straightforward question about it. He was asked six times before question time whether he supported multiculturalism, and he dodged every time. That silence, in the context of One Nation pushing a monoculturalism agenda, looked like capitulation.
So it's not really about multiculturalism itself—it's about Taylor's weakness?
It's both. The government sees Taylor as unwilling to defend a core Australian value because he's afraid of One Nation. That's a character issue and a policy issue at once. Albanese was saying: this is what happens when you let the far right set your terms.
Four MPs got thrown out. That's a lot for one day.
The chamber was hot. The government was not pulling punches, and the opposition was frustrated because they couldn't get the PM to rule in or rule out anything on the Greens deal. So they kept interjecting, and the speaker kept ejecting them. It was a day where decorum broke down.
What about Roberts-Smith not showing up to the war memorial?
He was invited as a Victoria Cross recipient, which is standard. But he's facing charges for ordering the murders of five unarmed detainees in Afghanistan. The optics were always going to be complicated. When he fell ill, it probably solved a problem nobody wanted to talk about.
Did the government have to defend inviting him?
Marles said it was appropriate because of the Victoria Cross. That's a clean answer, but it doesn't address the elephant in the room—that the man facing those charges was about to be honored at the nation's most sacred building. The illness made that tension disappear.