MIGRANTS are obliged to "be Australian" and social integration must be pushed harder, John Howard has declared.
In an interview marking his 10th anniversary as Prime Minister, Mr Howard also describes the burqa, the full head covering worn by some Muslim women, as "confronting".
Mr Howard yesterday defended as "fundamentally accurate" a controversial speech by his Treasurer, Peter Costello, on core Australian values.
But Mr Howard's interview with the Herald, conducted before the Costello speech, confirmed that the two men are singing from the same song sheet in expressing trepidation about a divide between some Muslims and mainstream Australia.
It also illustrates the futility of some Muslim leaders appealing to Mr Howard yesterday to censure Mr Costello for the speech on Thursday.
Mr Howard told the Herald, "when you come to this country, you become Australian". Similarly, Mr Costello had said: "Before becoming an Australian, you will be asked to subscribe to certain values. If you have strong objections to those values, don't come to Australia."
In the interview, Mr Howard said multiculturalism had become distorted and too often stupidly meant "a federation of cultures". And he said Muslims must work at avoiding their alienation. Mr Costello condemned "confused, mushy, misguided multiculturalism".
Initially, the Costello comments - including stripping citizenship from people who advocate Islamic law over Australian law - were judged to be at odds with Mr Howard. On the same day, Mr Howard had spoken of the contribution of "all of those who weren't born in this country" and extolled Australia as the least discriminatory country. In the interview, however, Mr Howard said integration was underdone, even though Australia was "very socially cohesive". Yesterday Mr Howard said Australia's core set of values flowed from its Anglo-Saxon identity and the Treasurer's essential point - that people should not migrate to countries they do not appreciate - was unexceptional.
Mr Howard said Australian Muslims overhwelmingly were committed to Australia, and terrorism was based "upon an evil, distorted interpretation of Islam … But that doesn't mean you can't identify areas of concern, and I think the reaction of some in the Islamic community … is quite unreasonable."
Costello backers said his remarks were intended to brand him as conservative enough for a legitimate shot at the Liberal leadership. Yesterday Mr Costello continued to promote the cause for a more demanding citizenship test. On Sydney radio he brushed aside the leadership question when asked if he was positioning himself by making remarks that some would consider to be racist.
Despite a chorus of protest at the Costello speech, NSW's Labor Premier, Morris Iemma, called it reasonable and practical and said immigrants should "leave the disputes, leave the extremism and leave the fights behind". This endorsement is a sure sign that Labor polling identifies the Muslim divide as a potent electoral issue.
Pauline Hanson, the former One Nation leader, said she was vindicated by Mr Costello. She added that "he needs to throw these people out of this country who do not embrace Australia".
