Business Visas Australia

An article in the The Australian newspaper today (6.3.09) by Stephen Lunn has finally contributed some balance to the recent and ongoing debate in the Australian political and media arena that current immigration intake poses a threat to job protection for Australians and that not reducing immigration quota will lead to a negative effect on efforts the government makes to reduce unemployment in the country.

This article brings another point of view which is like a breath of fresh air to me after following the immigration news for a couple of months now where I feel the general attitude by politicians, the media and societal experts seems to be slash immigration numbers as we don’t want migrants taking jobs from Australians.  I’ve been saying to myself don’t they get the bigger and truer picture?  That immigrants are acutally good for an economic recession.

Sure as your population grows infrastructure and services come under pressure but that’s an issue the government should focus it’s attention on.  Yes, reduce the numbers to a certain extent but don’t cut them dramatically, it just seems like a knee jerk reaction to me.  Perhaps it’s just easier to pass policy and law changing visa quotas then look at how to support a growing population (and growth is crucial) with the infrastructure and services it needs.

The article is mainly based on the opinions of a demographic expert, Professor Peter McDonald whose general view is that Australia ought to maintain its immigration intake at a constant level rather than being influenced by the economic cyclic highs and lows, meaning it increases immigration significantly when times are good and dramatically reducing numbers in recession.   What this means is over and undersupply of labour which has repercussions for the economy.  His view seems like a sound one to me.

It is apparent that a skilled Australian labour force is going to be needed for economic recovery, and considering just under 12 months ago there was a skilled labour shortage in the country, I would say keep the immigration numbers constant and a high level.

There are so many positive aspects the “migrant” brings to a country in recession.  Theirs skills are one thing but their money is a huge factor.  Most migrants are coming with families they need to spend big to settle themselves like buying a home.  At a time when many Australians are choosing not to spend which stunts economic growth and keeps a country in recession, migrants must spend their money in the Australian economy.

Ofcourse protecting jobs for Australians is also important issue but surely a compromise can be reached so that immigration intake remains consistent despite the recession and at a level that will help rebuild the Australian economy when it most needs the help.

I just feel cutting immigration numbers is short sighted, who knows how long it will take to get out of the recession so I think foresight is so important.  Having said all that I think Kevin Rudd is doing a good job so far and we will just have to wait for the May budget to see how his government handles this issue.

All the best,

Mege Dalton

6.03.09