Shadow Minister Disagrees with Liberal President Abbott on Multiculturalism

Shadow Housing Minister Andrew Bragg said Sunday he strongly disagrees with Liberal Party president Tony Abbott's claim that multiculturalism has failed in Australia, Abc reported. Abbott posted a speech to social media on Wednesday stating that multiculturalism had failed, diversity was not a strength, and Muslim leaders were more interested in chiding the public over Islamophobia than condemning the Bondi terror attack, which police allege was motivated by Islamic State ideology.

Bragg told the ABC's Insiders program that Abbott's comments do not reflect the feelings of elected Liberal members in Parliament.

"He's a former prime minister, he is entitled to his views, but I strongly disagree with them," Bragg said. " Abbott was elected unopposed as Liberal Party president in May. Bragg also described One Nation leader Pauline Hanson's comments on transgender rights as insane.

Hanson spoke at a conservative political conference in London stating that Australia cannot determine who is male and female and that the country was too stupid with common sense pushed to one side regarding gender. Bragg, who has previously voted to grant transgender children access to gender affirming healthcare, said the idea of a spectre of transgender people taking over Australia was insane.

Opposition leader Angus Taylor has vowed to change Australia's Sex Discrimination Act to include a definition of biological sex after the Federal Court upheld a ruling that the exclusion of a transgender woman from a female-only app was discriminatory.