Australia has a new anti-immigration, anti-Islam party, with the Australian Electoral Commission registering the Love Australia or Leave Party last week. The party, with the acronym LAOL, is headed by Kim Vuga, the overnight celebrity from SBS’ Go Back to Where you Came From. The pro-firearms, cane toad racing enthusiast is now leading the newly registered anti-Islam, anti-immigration party Love Australia or Leave. Unsurprisingly, the controversial party logo — featuring the word “FULL” stamped over an outline of Australia — has been criticised for its xenophobic connotations.
Contrary to the party’s logo, World Bank Data shows that Australia is one of the least densely populated countries in the world, beaten only by Finland and Mongolia.
Vuga denies comparisons to Pauline Hanson, despite her party sharing several key policy interests with the One Nation Party, including looser gun control, tighter restrictions on immigration, the abolition of halal certification and a strong disdain for Islamic culture.
Speaking to Crikey this morning, Vuga responded to criticism that her party was similar to Pauline Hanson’s One Nation party, saying that she was “different” to Hanson. “I’m blonde, she’s a redhead,” Vuga said. Vuga maintains that she does have policy differences to Hanson in the areas of vaccination and welfare. She also says her party’s policy is to decrease foreign aid, while One Nation’s policy asserts that foreign aid should be used to reduce the number of refugees coming to Australia.
Despite Vuga saying the parties are “different”, both have also voiced support for an “AUS-exit”, “UN-exit” or “leave” policy suggesting Australia leave the UN.
Vuga says that the party’s main priority is for Australia to leave the United Nations, but that it will also be running candidates in the next Queensland state election in 2018. She says the party is starting the website leaveun.com.au.
Despite advocating for Australia to freeze immigration and cull foreign aid, Vuga is adamant that her party is neither racist nor intolerant. “There is no place for an out of touch government, racism, political correctness, divisive multiculturalism or tolerance for the intolerant in Australia,” she says on the party website.
Vuga ran as an independent in the recent federal election.
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