Michael ReadForeign affairs and defence correspondentJun 12, 2026 – 8.00pmBelfast is more than 17,000 kilometres from Canberra, but it took just hours for its latest outbreak of violence to become part of Australia’s political debate.As anti-immigration riots spread across Northern Ireland following an attempted beheading by a Sudanese asylum seeker, One Nation senator Malcolm Roberts took to social media to claim the unrest was evidence that Australia should apply more scrutiny to who was allowed to enter the country.Subscribe to gift this articleGift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber? Michael ReadForeign affairs and defence correspondentMichael Read is the foreign affairs and defence correspondent, reporting from Parliament House, Canberra. He was formerly economics correspondent. He joined the Financial Review in 2021 from the Reserve Bank of Australia. Reach Michael securely @michaelread.14 on Signal.Fetching latest articles
Australia isn’t the UK. But its migration model faces a test
Australia controls its borders better than the UK and has a stronger track record on integration, but past multicultural success won’t guarantee future peace.
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