Coalition split on Andrew Bragg speech as South Australian senator Andrew McLachlan urges colleagues to ‘follow his lead’

Senior colleagues dismiss Bragg’s migration figures as ‘personal views’ while others say critical response is an ‘overreaction’

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Liberal senator Andrew McLachlan has publicly backed Andrew Bragg and urged colleagues to “follow his lead” after a public speech that has split colleagues and triggered a rebuke from opposition leader, Angus Taylor.

At the National Press Club on Wednesday, Bragg announced a policy to slash the national construction code and suggested net overseas migration should be dropped from the current level of about 300,000 to below 180,000 a year to keep pace with new housing builds.