Greens call for Australian immigration cut
February 01 2010 by Liam Clifford
The Australian Greens political party claims that Australian immigration levels should be kept down in order to maintain a sustainable population level.
Bob Brown, the party’s
leader, stated, “we're at record high immigration and it's got to be reviewed. I
think immigration levels should settle down much lower than they are at the
moment, without cutting humanitarian immigration."
He said that most
people did not support the government’s immigration plan to increase the
population of the country to 36 million by 2050, from 22 million today. The
extra people are expected to be needed in response to growth in the country's
economy and to fill labour and skills shortages emerging as the population
ages.
Most of the 184,000 Australian visas granted last year were to
people who moved to Australia on their work skills and experience. These people
are seen by many as offering an indispensable solution to skills shortages
plaguing some areas of the country.
Senator Brown added that Australians
should all try to live a sustainable lifestyle and that mass immigration would
hinder the country’s chances of doing this.
Brown continued, "If we don't
tackle climate change, we not only lose quality of life ... but we lose eight
per cent of the gross national product.”
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