Angus Taylor’s shameful remarks about ‘bad’ countries obscure the bigger question – how can we make sure Australia is a good one?

If Angus Taylor is serious about rebuilding the Liberal party ‘he will need to focus on the issues Australians care about’, Sisonke Msimang writes. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP

At a time when his party has a real opportunity to throw out the playbook of the past, Angus Taylor seems woefully ill-equipped to lay out a vision for Australian goodness.

This past weekend the Liberal leader made remarks about “bad people” coming to Australia from “bad countries”, claiming: “There is a higher risk that some bad people come from those bad countries.”