Opposition Leader Angus Taylor has revealed plans to boot migrants from the country if they do not exhibit enough belief in Australian values under a hardline policy from his would-be government.
"We'll always have a reasonable debate in this country about what an Australian fair go means," he said in a speech on Tuesday, appearing alongside former prime minister John Howard at Liberal-aligned think tank the Menzies Research Centre.
"Some aspects of our country should be beyond that kind of debate when it comes to who we bring into the country.
"If you don't respect democracy, I'm not sure why you would want to come here. If you don't accept our rule of law, again, I don't think it's right for you."
The long-awaited coalition policy announcement did not specify what migrant intake the opposition would target if elected to government.
It comes as Pauline Hanson's One Nation soars in the polls, hoovering up disenfranchised former Liberal and National voters.
The migration proposal has drawn widespread criticism from senior Labor figures, legal experts and human rights groups, who dismissed it as an attempt to mirror the resurgent anti-immigration party's policies.
"We're just seeing desperate dog-whistling from Angus Taylor who's desperately trying to compete with One Nation in a race to the bottom," frontbencher Pat Conroy said.
"He has to be honest with the Australian public about what industries won't get workers through their policies.
"Who's going to lose doctors, who's going to lose nurses, who's going to lose aged-care workers?''
Immigration law expert Mary Crock said the proposal was merely a political gesture, mimicking Trumpian policies in the hopes it would give the coalition an electoral bounce.
"I don't think Australians are particularly fond of seeing us as lapdogs to the Americans, particularly in the present context," Professor Crock told AAP.
Mr Taylor signalled a desire to place greater scrutiny on people attempting to come to Australia from countries that were not Western liberal democracies.
''Australia has a non-discriminatory immigration program,'' Mr Taylor said.
''We do not discriminate based on nationality, race, gender, or faith. But for an immigration program to work in the national interest it must discriminate based on values.''
Prof Crock said legislation already allowed the government to refuse or cancel visas on character grounds.
Mr Taylor took aim at the about 1300 Gazans who sought refuge in Australia after Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7, warning they presented a risk and must be reassessed with greater scrutiny.
Asylum Seeker Resource Centre deputy chief executive Jana Favero said the plan was "vile and dangerous garbage" aimed at dividing the community.
"Angus Taylor's comments today not only undermine our refugee protection system and the right to seek asylum but also demonise families fleeing persecution," she said.
Three measures would seek to "lower the numbers and lift the standards" of Australia's migration program under the coalition's plan.
They include putting "Australian values" at the centre of migration laws, shutting the door to unauthorised migrants who purportedly try to game the asylum system and giving a "red light to radicals" by strengthening screening processes.
Complying with the Australian values statement will be enshrined into law and a prescribed set of behaviours that constitute a breach of Australian values will be established.
"If a visa-holder undermines our democratic values, doesn't respect the law ... they will be booted out of Australia," Mr Taylor said.
The Australian values statement is a document prospective migrants must sign when applying for a visa that outlines the values they're expected to uphold.
These include respect for the freedom and dignity of the individual, commitment to the rule of law and recognising English as the national language.
"This is very much a political gesture … to enshrine a value statement," Prof Crock said on Taylor's proposals, warning it would embed "indeterminate concepts" into legislation.
