The Coalition and Labor continue to war over the Turnbull Government’s announced changes to Australia’s citizenship test. From The AFR:
As the Turnbull government tries to exploit Labor disquiet, the Opposition has hit back and demanded Immigration Minister Peter Dutton release the [citizenship] legislation so it can finally be considered.
At Tuesday’s caucus meeting, Bill Shorten mocked the proposal for stricter English language requirements, saying he was unsure whether Coalition MPs would pass a university-level English test.
While Labor is likely to try to water down some of the citizenship changes, five MPs took issue with aspects of the overhaul. One highlighted how a family with an adult child with Down syndrome would be unable to gain citizenship without an exemption to the English language test.
Opposition citizenship spokesman Tony Burke said the government’s approach had been “incoherent” and took aim at linking the changes to national security…
Mr Turnbull used question time to accuse Labor of being divided.
“If he [Mr Burke] thinks that has got nothing to do with national security, then he totally misunderstands the nature of the threats we face,” the PM said.
All this debate over the citizenship test is really just a side show. The more fundamental issue is that Australia’s permanent migrant intake level is far too high at around 200,000:
The current intake is well over double the level that existed at the turn of the century and is even higher than the peak of the mining boom.
It is this excessive migrant intake that is contributing to the oversupply in Australia’s labour market, in turn undermining workers’ bargaining power and maintaining downward pressure on wages:
And it is this excessive migrant intake that is causing widespread indigestion in the major capitals via crush-loading economic and social infrastructure (e.g. the road and public transport systems, schools and hospitals), making housing less affordable, not to mention damaging Australia’s natural environment and diluting Australia’s mineral wealth.
Unless this permanent migrant intake is halved, population pressures and resentment will continue to grow within the electorate, ultimately leading to a voter backlash against immigration. Nudging citizenship criteria around will not change the degrading lived experience.
