A secret proposal to ban migrants from terrorism-linked regions, including Somalia, exposes the hardening stance of Australia's Liberal Party under new leadership.

A diplomatic storm is brewing in the Southern Hemisphere following the leak of a classified hardline immigration plan from Australia's opposition Liberal Party. The document, drafted under the tenure of ousted leader Sussan Ley, proposes a blanket ban on migrants from 13 countries deemed "terrorist-controlled." For East Africa, the implications are stark: Somalia is squarely in the crosshairs.

The revelation comes amidst a chaotic leadership spill in Canberra, where the right-wing conservative Angus Taylor has seized power with a mandate to "stop bad immigration." While Taylor claims he had not seen the specific plan before taking office, his rhetoric suggests a pivot towards exactly this kind of exclusionary policy.

The List of 13

The leaked strategy identifies 37 specific regions across 13 nations where terrorist organisations hold territorial sway. Migrants from these areas would be automatically barred from entering Australia, regardless of their individual vetting status or asylum needs. The list reads like a roll-call of the world's most conflict-ridden zones:

• East Africa: Somalia (specifically regions controlled by Al-Shabaab).
• Middle East: Gaza (Palestine), Yemen, parts of Egypt and Lebanon.
• Asia & Africa: Afghanistan, Nigeria (Boko Haram territories), Mali, Niger.

Internal Dissent Down Under

The draconian nature of the proposal has fractured the Liberal Party itself. Paul Scarr, the Shadow Immigration Minister under Ley, has publicly distanced himself from the document. "I never agreed to unreleased Liberal plan to ban migrants," Scarr told The Guardian, citing "serious concerns" about the legality and morality of collective punishment based on geography.

The East African Impact

For the Somali diaspora in Kenya and the wider Horn of Africa, this signals a worrying global trend. Australia has long been a destination for skilled migrants and refugees from the region. A blanket ban based on regional instability would effectively trap thousands of innocent civilians who are themselves fleeing the very terror groups Australia claims to be protecting itself against.

As Angus Taylor consolidates his power, promoting conservatives like Andrew Hastie and Jacinta Nampijinpa Price to his frontbench, the message to the Global South is clear: The drawbridge is being pulled up, and the West's borders are becoming harder to cross than ever before.