Australian lawmakers of all political stripes have joined a call to slash migrant numbers after the Chinese coronavirus pandemic, arguing the country’s historic reliance on new arrivals to boost growth has hurt workers while driving soaring house prices and crowded cities.
Their push addresses concerns many Australian employers use the current temporary visa system to avoid hiring local workers and were exploiting people whose visa status and security depended on their wage provider.
“Do we want migrants to return to Australia in the same numbers and in the same composition as before the crisis?” Labor Party parliamentary member Kristina Keneally wrote in an opinion piece. “Our answer should be no.”
In particular, she called for a reduction in the number of young, lower-skilled temporary workers permitted to enter the country and more investment in skills training for locals at a time when more than a quarter of Australia’s population is foreign born, the second largest in the OECD.
“We must make sure that Australians get a fair go and a first go at jobs,” Keneally outlined in the Sun-Herald and the Sunday Age newspapers.
“Our post-Covid-19 economic recovery must ensure Australia shifts away from its increasing reliance on a cheap supply of overseas, temporary labour that undercuts wages for Australian workers and takes jobs Australians could do.”
A member of the ruling conservative coalition, Andrew Laming, agreed. He said there was scope to increase the skill-based element of the migrant intake, arguing it was vital to focus on “quality rather than quantity”.
Senator Dean Smith has also raised concerns about immigration, saying Australia deserves a more comprehensive debate in the wake of the pandemic.
“Any plan to reshape Australia once the coronavirus has passed must start with a conversation about the composition, geographic spread and the skill components of our population,” he said.
The current immigration debate in Australia’s parliament is a continuation of one that began in earnest even before the Chinese coronavirus epidemic took hold, as Breitbart News reported.
END MASS MIGRATION | Gov, Labor & Greens refuse to acknowledge the dangers of mass migration #auspol
MEDIA RELEASE https://t.co/LScQyndXAP pic.twitter.com/9zQeTzLtd5
— Pauline Hanson 🇺 (@PaulineHansonOz) October 20, 2017
full story at https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/05/05/australian-lawmakers-call-to-slash-mass-immigration-in-post-coronavirus-world/