Immigration In Australia Essay, Research Paper
Immigration
Australia should increase its migrant intake.
Immigration is an asset to any country. It encourages economic growth, reduces unemployment, and creates more cultural diversity and understanding of different nations. It benefits population growth, especially for a small nation, like Australia. As a result of the First settlement in 1788, Australia started advancing rapidly, and in 200 years it has come a long way. However, Australia is a young country and it must be looked after. Migration is a solution to increasing the population of this great continent. Immigration is very important for a country and it should be increased in Australia s case.
Migration creates economies of scale. It generates a slightly positive effect on the nation s average income and adds to the supply of skilled workers. Some people say that increased migration means higher unemployment rates. In fact, the majority of people come here to work, to start a new life. Against the arguments of some people, those migrants open businesses that employ an average of 10.5 people per business. And in some cases, even more. For example, TNT, VISI Recycling and many more are all examples of immigrant formed and owned companies that have boosted the economy. It is unbelievable that governments fear migration, when the migrants contribute to the taxes for the Commonwealth, state and local government revenues.
Growth in the building industry is also a result of migration. The more migrants come, the more houses needed to accommodate them. Therefore, migration doesn t decrease overall unemployment, it creates more jobs. Migration also encourages interdependence between the national economies. This results in lowered cost of national and international travel. Thus meaning increased mobility of people between nations, more permanent residents, more tourism, and therefore a greater economy comparable to the rest of the world. Australia is far away from everything and must do everything to bring the world closer.
Further, migration adds to our cultural diversity and ability to communicate with the rest of the world. Different cultures, art forms, languages and rituals all contribute to the further understanding of the rest of the world. Before the first settlement in 1788, the only culture that there was in Australia was the Aboriginal Society. After that, many settlers came and in 200 years they made Australia the way it is now, and still advancing.
Now in Australia, there are a vast variety of jobs available, and most people are willing to work, but some people just prefer not to work whilst getting the dole from the government. Immigrants however, have no choice. If they come without much money, they have to work to support their families, since they do not receive social security support for at least 2 years. Therefore the amount of skilled workers increases.
The Australian defense force is not very large. Since Australia has around 18.5 million people, only a small percentage of people want to join. That is why the defense force is offering excellent deals for whoever wants to join. But even if everyone in Australia joined, it still wouldn t be enough to defend it. For a continent this big, Australia has a relatively small population. For example, Indonesia has about 200 million people, but the living areas are very small. In words of Victorian Premier, Mr. Jeff Kennett: Australia s population was so low it would not even be able to defend Tasmania . More migrants mean more chances for them to join the defense force and strengthen its capabilities.
Australia has a beautiful environment to live in, and in some opinions, it is the cleanest part of the planet, since there are no nuclear testings, and there is a lot of caring for the environment. But some people say that bringing in more migrants will destroy our environment and deplete the country s resources of food and water. That is next to impossible. Australia is a large continent, surrounded by water. And we grow so much food that we even export to other countries. For Australia to deplete its resources, we won t need just migrants, but a miracle.
Some people around the world are persecuted in their countries. It is our moral obligation as members of a world community to take them in and offer them a better life. After all, this is a country of free speech and we support one another, rather than trying to destroy each other.
Immigration boosts economy, creates more jobs, adds to the supply of skilled workers, improves international relations and creates a greater cultural diversity. After all, people are the ones who make the decisions, and the more people we have in the country, the more diverse our views are. Also we would be able to defend ourselves better. Australia should definitely bring more migrants in.Bibliography:
+ COHEN, Harry Nation pays price for migrants , The West Australian 08/10/98
+ CUMMINS, Andrew Migrants help build identity, says Deane , Herald Sun 27/01/99
+ HENDERSON, Gerard Time for Howard to change tack , Sydney Morning Herald 20/10/98
+ HOLLINGWORTH, Peter Careful growth program , Herald Sun 1st edition, 30/09/98
+ JACKMAN, Christine More migrants, pleads Kennett , Herald Sun12/02/99
+ LOWE, Ian Stable population has its benefits , Courier Mail (Brisbane), 18/09/98
+ ROWE, Lyndon – Plus to immigration equation The West Australian, 16/09/98
+ RUDDOCK, Phillip Wake up for this tired, brown land , Sydney Morning Herald 26/10/98
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