One Nation's Pauline Hanson has suggested we need to reduce immigration to a more manageable 130,000 a year. Such an intake would effectively keep the population stable and only replace people who left the country. This is a net-zero migration target, if you will.
Many would think that a pause on migration until such time as housing prices stabilise might be a better way forward.
Whatever the case, our current immigration levels are unsustainable. Last year, long-term arrivals reached 468,390. This is the highest on record.
The real number of migrants might actually be higher than that due to the number of people who arrive on tourist visas and the like, and then stay in our country illegally. Estimates suggest the number of overstayers could be as high as 100,000. (Of note is that One Nation is calling for at least 75,000 of these illegals to be deported as part of their policy suites.)
Only Pauline Hanson and the One Nation Party have been honest about this connection and have sought to do something about mass migration.
One Nation is committed to introducing a cap on net migration of 130,000 per year. This would mark a major reduction in net migration and… pic.twitter.com/36QTtymids
Our current level of immigration is not sustainable for a country with a population of only 28 million and rapidly declining native birth rates. The long-lasting problems that emanate from such migration levels aren’t just limited to economic pressures such as housing shortages, increased job competition, suppressed wages, and inflation.
It is also cultural and institutional strain; when you have a mass influx of people with very different values and world views beyond the capacity of your country’s ability to integrate them, then ethnic tensions increase, trust in society dips, crime increases, streets become unsafe, and the “first world” way of life we have grown accustomed towithout risking them being stolenbecomes a distant memory.
This is not speculation or fear-mongering. We already have examples of this happening across the West and even here in Australia. One can only observe the differences between cities overrun with new migrants and rural areas that retain their national character.
Contrast how strangers behave with you, how safe you feel out alone at night, how friendly and close-knit local communities are, and so on. You can even leave your belongings unattended in small towns without risking them being stolen.
That is a hallmark of an integrated, high-trust society, a very modern phenomenon, as history was more tribal, violent, and operated on a zero-sum scarcity mindset overall. The latter is something that still plagues much of the developing world, from which our current government is so keen on importing people.
Limiting immigration quotas to at least 130,000 or pausing immigration temporarily isn’t just prudent but necessary if we are to keep Australia Australian instead of feeling like second-class foreigners in our own country. The UK is already a warning for us.
Those who built, shaped, and defended this country deserve to have it preserved in the same state for their descendants as well.
Thought for the Day
“Many of the third-world immigrants brought in by Labor will be eligible for citizenship (and hence voting rights) for the next election. Studies show that around 80% will lean Left.” ― Cory Bernardi
I’m a journalist, former politician, Christian, and campaign director for CitizenGO Australia. My mission is to challenge the media lies, government overreach, and corporate censorship that threaten our freedoms.
