Australian author says Australian immigration is vital
September 18 2009 by Mark Johnstone
Tom Keneally on Australian immigration
Australian author Tom Keneally has launched a passionate tirade of support for immigration in Australia, claiming that the country would suffer greatly if people from overseas stopped coming to live in Australia.
At Tuesday’s iQ2 immigration debate, held in Sydney, Keneally said that far from reducing immigrant numbers, the government needs to encourage more people to move to Australia as they bring with them much needed skills and wealth.
Without immigration Australia would become “less wealthy, less clever, less imaginative and less of a successful polity.”
Keneally was defending the immigration system against a statement from Tim Flannery, a writer and conservationist, who claimed too many people were obtaining Australian visas to the detriment of Australian workers and the environment.
“It is our misuse of the environment which has created our environment disasters,” argued Keneally in defence of the granting of Australian visas.
He added that it was early settlers, who cleared much of Australia’s forests for grazing their animals, who were to blame for many of the country’s environment problems. He added that it was wrong to blame immigration for environmental problems.
See the latest Immigration News
