Sometimes the political and media cycle is hard to explain. One can repeat the same thing over and over and over again with little traction but then, just when you may have given up hope, a spark catches and the issue becomes of immediate interest.
We saw that this week when the media and the major parties suddenly became interested in population policy and immigration.
After years of denying there was anything worth talking about, it suddenly became a very important discussion. Commentators raised the matter of visa exploitation whilst others actually started to question the number of immigrants and their impact on Australia.
Once again, the Conservative Party has been well ahead of the pack on immigration matters and unlike a lot of others we actually have practical, principled and sensible solutions to the current issues.
In short, current immigration levels are simply too high. They are no longer acting in our cultural, social or economic interests and unfortunately our politicians seem to be the last ones to recognise that widespread reforms of our immigration programs are needed.
This week we even saw a call for a Senate inquiry into a population policy for Australia.
It all sounds good in theory. Map out a plan to manage the size of our population for decades to come. The devil of course is in the detail.
Who can say what the optimum population size is? The answer will depend on many variables including infrastructure, prosperity, productivity and resources – some of which can be planned for whilst others cannot.
Some will argue that our population is already too high as we have too many people on welfare, our per capita income has been dropping and our major cities are fraught with congestion problems. We have law and order issues in some communities, isolated cultural enclaves, social unrest and a very high cost of living.
Others maintain that we can host many multiples of the current population and it is in our interests to do so.
To me, both views can be correct but success or failure hinges on the actual composition of our migration intake. Historically, Australia’s migration system has required integration and self-reliance. You got a job, became part of the community and made a new life for you and your family. With some exceptions it worked pretty well for a long period of time.
That all changed with the divisive doctrine of multi-culturalism that asserted all cultures are equal and can co-exist in a single land. It was PC nonsense when introduced in the 1970s and it has only got worse since, thanks to our ridiculously generous welfare system and weak-willed politicians.
We can’t afford to continue down the same path and this means we need to be more discerning about who comes to our country and the conditions under which they can remain.
That entails removing the backdoor visa manipulation that provides a shortcut to permanent residency whilst also removing the incentives that allow a semi-permanent welfare status rather than a requirement to get out and work.
The current system is no longer working for us. The Australian people seem to understand that and it’s about time that more of our politicians did too.
To find out more about the Australian Conservative Party’s immigration policy please CLICK HERE.
Cory Bernardi is the author of seven books and has been a member of the Australian rowing team, a publican, an investment portfolio manager and spent nearly 14 years as an Australian Senator.
