Australian PM Faces Fallout Over Minister’s ‘Xenophobic’ Refugee Claim

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, in the midst of a tight election campaign, came under fire on Thursday for backing his immigration minister over claims resettling "illiterate and innumerate" refugees would strain the social safety network.

Opposition Labor Party leader Bill Shorten labeled Immigration Minister Peter Dutton's comments "xenophobic," while refugee advocates such as Ian Rintoul, a spokesman for the high-profile Refugee Action Coalition, condemned the comments.