Not Just The Right Calling for Curbs on Immigration

Pauline Hanson’s One Nation party have long been opposed to high levels of immigration to Australia. Unsurprisingly, the mainstream often label this as “xenophobic” or even “racist”, which I think is just lazy journalism, but a typical reaction from the powers that be who support high immigration levels. However, in recent times, it seems to be that it’s not just people from the political right that are in favour of reducing immigration.

For example, the ABC published an article indicating that record immigration is probably starting to hurt: “The uncomfortable truth about record high immigration levels, rents and inflation”, where they ask the question: “Wouldn't it make more sense to simply scale back the level of immigration, even temporarily, to take the pressure off rents and help lower inflation?” Yeah, it would make sense.

Bob Carr, former Labor Premier of New South Wales, has also recently spoke out against Australia’s high immigration levels: “‘We don’t need it’: Bob Carr slams Australia’s record immigration intake”.

Australia brought in a record 737,000 people in 2022-23 financial year, up 73%. Adjusting for migrant departures, that’s still a record net annual gain of 518,000 people, almost the population of Tasmania.

The Barefoot Investor, Scott Pape, has recently been speaking out against Australia’s immigration policy as well. He said it’s time to ask some hard questions. “‘2000 a day’: Barefoot Investor Scott Pape hits out at ‘broken’ Australia”. In terms of the housing crisis, he said, “Yes, there’s more to solving the property crisis than immigration. There’s the tax breaks that favour investors, a genuine lack of supply, and more social housing that needs to be built. Yet the fact remains that, as it stands, overseas arrivals are outpacing the construction of new homes at a rate of almost four to one. Why are we currently bringing in 2000 new migrants a day – 659,800 in the last year – when the rental market is in crisis? Our politicians like to crow about how we’re the ‘lucky country’ that hasn’t had a recession for a record-breaking 34 years. Yet we’ve largely achieved it by bringing more people into our paddock. I’m not anti-immigration or xenophobic, I just don’t agree with the country’s current unrelenting, unconstrained goal of ‘economic growth’.”

Daniel Wild, executive director of the Institute of Public Affairs, a conservative think tank, said in an interview, “What is clear is that the government is not in control of its migration program and this is causing immense economic and humanitarian damage to our nation. We’ve had four consecutive quarters of negative per capita economic growth. Migration makes the economic pie bigger, but the slice of that everybody in this country is getting is now smaller. The government’s policy is fundamentally out of step with the expectations of the community.”

President Jenny Goldie of the Ecological Advocacy group, Sustainable Population Australia, clearly on the left side of politics also commented on this mass migration program: “Growth of just under two-thirds of a million people in one year on this largely arid continent with a variable climate and poor soils is unconscionable. It is unsustainable in economic, social and environmental terms. Indeed, it is nothing short of criminal. It is the main cause of the all-time rental crisis and the cruel increase in homelessness, but Mr Albanese simply doesn’t care. He knows he has no voter consent for what he’s doing.”

Economist Leith van Onselen, co-founder of MacroBusiness, stated in an interview, “Population numbers are out of control and it’s coming at the same time as housing construction is collapsing. We only added one home per 4.5 new residents. That there, ladies and gentlemen, is why we’ve got a rental crisis.”

Our dear leader, Anthony Albanese, did admit that something needs to be done. He stated, “We do need to have our migration levels brought to a sustainable level. People are coming here, enrolling in courses that don’t really add substantially to either their skills base or to the national interest here.” Consequently, Minister for Home Affairs, The Honourable Clare O’Neil, recently declared that the “Albanese Government continues to deliver on Migration Strategy”. Do you trust them? They said they’ll be introducing a new Genuine Student Test to crack down on international students looking to come here primarily to work. They’ll be increasing the imposition of “no further stay” conditions on visitor visas. And they said they will be increasing the English language requirements for student visas. What? Demanding that students who come to Australia can understand English? Isn’t that, how would you say, “xenophobic” or “racist”? I don’t know, I’m just asking.

MUSIC
Allégro by Emmit Fenn