In a provocative first speech to Parliament, Queensland senator Fraser Anning has called for a return to a "European Christian" immigration system and a ban on Muslims migrating to Australia.

Key points: Senator Fraser Anning says migrants should embrace the English language and Australian values

Senator Fraser Anning says migrants should embrace the English language and Australian values He said the "final solution" to the immigration issue was a popular vote

He said the "final solution" to the immigration issue was a popular vote The term "final solution" was used in Nazi Germany to describe the mass killing of Jewish people

The Katter's Australian Party senator's praise for the White Australia policy has been swiftly condemned as "vile" and "bile" by his parliamentary opponents.

"We as a nation are entitled to insist that those who are allowed to come here predominantly reflect the historic European-Christian composition of Australian society," he told the Upper House.

"Those who come here need to assimilate and integrate."

He said migrants should embrace the English language and Australian values, saying cultural diversity undermined social cohesion.

"Ethnocultural diversity ... has been allowed to rise to dangerous levels in many suburbs," he said.

"In direct response, self-segregation, including white flight from poorer inner-urban areas, has become the norm."

The Queenslander called for migration numbers to be slashed, and a ban on Muslim people migrating to Australia.

He said the Muslim community had "consistently shown itself to be the least able to assimilate and integrate".

"I believe that the reasons for ending all further Muslim immigration are both compelling and self-evident," Mr Anning said.

"The record of Muslims who have already come to this country in terms of rates of crime, welfare dependency, and terrorism are the worst of any migrant [group] and vastly exceed any other immigrant group."

"The majority of Muslims in Australia of working age do not work and live on welfare."

"While all Muslims are not terrorists, certainly all terrorists these days are Muslims, so why would anyone want to bring more of them here?"

Senator Anning said "the final solution to the immigration problem of course is a popular vote".

"We need a plebiscite to allow the Australian people to decide whether they want wholesale non-English speaking immigrants from the third world, and particularly whether they want any Muslims.

"Or whether they want to return to the predominantly European immigration policy of the pre-Whitlam [Government] consensus."

The "final solution" was a phrase used in Nazi Germany under Adolf Hitler to describe the mass killing of Jewish people.

Later on Tuesday night, Senator Anning dismissed the criticism of his "final solution" phrase.

"The 'ultimate solution' to any political question is always a popular vote."

'Vile, racist, bigoted, and has no place in our society'

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Labor frontbencher Tony Burke slammed the Senator for invoking the phrase and labelled his speech "bile" against Muslim Australians.

"Another speech belittling Australians, another speech dividing the nation, another speech wanting to incite debate," he told Parliament.

Greens leader Richard Di Natale demanded an apology for the "vile comments".

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"Referring to immigrants, particularly Muslim immigrants, with the same language that the Nazis used to discuss the extermination of Europe's Jews during the Holocaust is vile, racist, bigoted, and has no place in out society, let alone our Parliament," Dr Di Natale said.

"Australia is a proud multicultural society that is made better every day by the contributions of immigrants."

Labor Senate leader Penny Wong, who was born in Malaysia, rejected the speech.

"My parents were married in the dying days of the White Australia Policy," Senator Wong said.

"We've rightly consigned that policy to the dustbin of history."

Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Alan Tudge, said Senator Anning's comments did not reflect the views of the Government.

Senator Anning replaced One Nation's Malcolm Roberts in Parliament after Mr Roberts was found to be a dual citizen.

Senator Anning's speech was reminiscent of Pauline Hanson's first speech as an MP in the mid-1990s.

The One Nation founder called for multiculturalism to be abolished, saying Australia was in "danger of being swamped by Asians".