From The Guardian:
Liberal senator Cory Bernardi has called for the government to halve the migration intake and reconsider the refugee intake or face the further rise of anti-establishment parties including One Nation.
Bernardi told Sky News he had warned of the rise of anti-establishment parties for years and said it was reflected in Australia by the rise of One Nation and, before that, the Palmer United party.
“Pauline Hanson is speaking directly to many Coalition voters and drawing them away because she’s tackling the issues that many would suggest the Coalition should be dealing with.”
He predicted the sentiment would grow if the major parties “did not reflect the concerns individuals have”, citing migration.
“For all the palaver we’ve been told that a big migration program is good for our economic growth, the statistics, when you look at them on a per capita basis, do not support that,” he claimed.
“What we should be doing is halving our migration intake, making sure it is acting in Australia’s interests in the long term.”
…Asked about the government’s proposed lifetime ban on refugees and asylum seekers in offshore detention ever travelling to Australia, Bernardi said he “fully supported” the decision and encouraged his party to “reconsider aspects of our humanitarian refugee intake”.
Dare I say macrobated?!
It’s on like Donkey Kong now people. This is an attack on Do-nothing Malcolm as much as it is any other political entity. He is wedged and will need to either adopt the policy or he’ll get tossed pre-election.
Moreover, Bernardi is right. A halving of immigration levels would still have the population growing faster than it did in the post-war period to 2003 (before Howard threw open the floodgates):
This is a sensible moderation. It will take pressure off property prices, infrastructure and lower interest rates, as well as the dollar to push the post-mining boom adjustment. Longer term it will pressure government to adopt productivity reform to boost per capita standards of living.
So long as it is not done on racial grounds or as an excuse to whack boat people, Loon Pond no more!
