Former prime minister John Howard has warned the “sensible understanding” of the word assimilation has been degraded and called it a “terrible mistake” which may cost Australia its Anglo-Celtic culture.

Speaking to former prime minister Tony Abbott as part of his documentary series “Australia: A History”, Mr Howard said Australia’s leaders needed to be “prepared” to “assert” the nation’s central values on new arrivals.

Asked about how Australia can continue to be an “immigrant society” while retaining a broadly Anglo-Celtic culture, with Judeo-Christian ethics, Mr Howard reflected on his own tenure as prime minister.

“You can do that if you are prepared to assert the centrality of the Australian compact to everybody who comes. Now, you only get into trouble on migration if you appear to

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