Comments by One Nation’s lead NSW Upper House candidate, Stuart Bonds, about multicultural communities are drawing criticism in a statement issued today.
Mr Bonds appeared on a podcast on Monday night where the host claimed that subcontinent communities were being used as ethnic voting blocs.
The condemnation also points to a speech at a rally on Sunday, where he allegedly said multicultural grants were effectively payments to secure votes and declared: “Make no mistake, we are being demographically replaced inside our own nation.”
Minister for Multiculturalism Steve Kamper said the comments “go well beyond a debate about immigration policy” and question the loyalty of multicultural Australians. It says Australia’s multicultural success is built on the principle that everyone has an equal stake in the country’s future.
Bonds meanwhile has defended his comments, claiming they were taken out of context.
“They managed to cut the quote short of me saying “I don’t accept that people like the Bondi shooters are as Australian as you and me”…but I digres,” he posted on Facebook.
“We are on the right side of history on this issue. The numbers are far to high. Most Australians support lower immigration.”
Mr Bonds is a well-known Hunter political figure who came close to winning the federal seat of Hunter for One Nation in 2019. He is leading One Nation’s Upper House ticket for the NSW election on 13 March 2027, with the party targeting seats including Cessnock and Upper Hunter.
