> Dick Smith is a legend
He was a legend.
For many of us in Australia he is remembered more for his racist, xenophobic views and efforts in advising the One Nation party.
He was a legend.
For many of us in Australia he is remembered more for his racist, xenophobic views and efforts in advising the One Nation party.
Mind elaborating? If you were referring to the news item from 2016, it seems to me that you may be misrepresenting Smith: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/dec/06/dick-...
Never really heard anything racist or xenophobic from him but to be fair having paid that much attention.
I don't think he is personally motivated by racial/religious animus. I think he is genuinely concerned about the potential impacts of population growth on the environment, housing affordability, traffic congestion, quality of life, etc. However, I think he has a poor understanding of how other people are going to perceive his decision to publicly ally himself with a politician who has a clear record of that animus.
That's a weird thing to tie together.
But, to quote Pauline Hanson's 1996 maiden speech to Parliament [0] (my emphasis):
> Immigration and multiculturalism are issues that this government is trying to address, but for far too long ordinary Australians have been kept out of any debate by the major parties. I and most Australians want our immigration policy radically reviewed and that of multiculturalism abolished. I believe we are in danger of being swamped by Asians. Between 1984 and 1995, 40 per cent of all migrants coming into this country were of Asian origin. They have their own culture and religion, form ghettos and do not assimilate. Of course, I will be called racist but, if I can invite whom I want into my home, then I should have the right to have a say in who comes into my country.
Some people's anti-immigration sentiments are not anti-[race], but Hanson's are. If it is a "weird thing to tie together", I am not the one doing the tying, Hanson did it herself. And virtually all Australians know her history, and know where she is coming from – no doubt Smith included – and Smith chose to publicly ally himself with her anti-immigration policy. If he'd expressed his anti-immigration position without choosing to publicly invoke her name, far fewer people would have accused him of racism and xenophobia.
[0] https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/pauline-hansons-1996...
I could be wrong but I think that was as far as it went. I remember it making me pretty uncomfortable at the time but I don't think he actually supported her or One Nation.
“I support her policy on Julian Assange. I support her immigration policy. She says that she’s going to have a policy to help general aviation. I’ll certainly support that,” Mr Smith told the Daily Telegraph.
“I agree with her views on immigration numbers, that is about 70,000 a year, not 200,000. But I do not agree with her views on Muslim immigration.”
I think this was a mistake on his part.