Howard warns immigration bans won't stop terrorism as Joyce defends super withdrawal plan

Australian politics on Tuesday centred on two contentious issues: immigration policy and a disputed superannuation proposal.

Howard on immigration and terrorism

Former prime minister John Howard, 87, spoke in Canberra with Australian National University professor Rory Medcalf ahead of the 25th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks. The conversation opened with last year's alleged terrorist attack in Bondi before turning to whether immigration settings could keep potential terrorists out of the country.

Howard said the "law of averages" meant some people with harmful intentions could still enter, but he did not believe the evidence supporting stricter measures was overwhelming. He argued that stopping terrorism from slipping in under cover of immigration cannot be achieved simply by halting immigration altogether or restricting specific categories, since banning migrants from countries with a reputation for terrorism could prove far more limiting than proponents realise.

Neither major party has proposed a blanket ban on migrants from specific countries for permanent migration. One Nation, however, has said it wants country-wide migration bans on people from nations the foreign affairs department lists as "do not travel" destinations.

Howard also said the United States remains Australia's ultimate security guarantor despite what he called Donald Trump's "unorthodox" presidency, recalling his decision to invoke the Anzus treaty after the September 11 attacks, which he believes later helped pave the way for the Aukus agreement.

Joyce defends superannuation plan

One Nation deputy leader Barnaby Joyce defended his party's policy allowing renters and mortgage holders to withdraw from their superannuation to boost their income, saying its effect on inflation would be "minute". The superannuation industry has warned the policy could fuel inflation, with an industry body's chief executive calling it potentially "economically disastrous" and warning it could leave people poorer in retirement. Neither Labor nor the Coalition supports the plan, and Joyce acknowledged the party had not modelled its inflationary impact in detail.

Joyce was also questioned about allegations against One Nation's Victorian leader, Warren Pickering, involving claims of past drug use made by an ex-partner. Pickering has denied the claims, while Joyce described the allegations as "contested".