We are a magnet for illegal immigrants

Wednesday, 22nd April 2009

A nation that loses control of its borders is no nation at all, warns Tom Switzer

During the Howard years, the numbers almost doubled. Even immigration minister Chris Evans has praised the former PM’s record. In March, he told a Senate Estimates testimony: ‘He ran a strong humanitarian migration programme and, in fact, a very strong skilled migration programme, which he increased each year for 11 successive years. I give him due credit at every public opportunity. We have had bipartisan support for that policy for many years, and long may it continue.’

The problem, though, is that community support for such a policy is less likely to continue if the government gives the impression that it is not in control of who comes into the country. Polls consistently show that a broad cross-section of the Australian people want their government to subject new unlawful arrivals to tough scrutiny. Again, as Hirst pointed out, a tough stand on border control increases support for the official migration programme.

People-smuggling is a business, albeit an illegal and immoral one, and like all businesses it is alert to maximising economic opportunities wherever and whenever they may arise. As the ABC’s Chris Uhlmann reported exclusively this week, the people-smuggling sources in Jakarta have caught the significance of the Rudd government’s decision to soften Australian border controls. Sure, global trends indicate rising asylum seeker traffic, but people-smugglers are also back in business because the law has changed.

As it turns out, public support for high levels of immigration is falling. According to leading demographer Katherine Betts, 46 per cent of voters support cuts to immigration. It is not clear whether this is due to urban congestion or rising house prices. But it is a fair bet that public consensus for high immigration rates will further deteriorate if the government makes it easier for unauthorised arrivals to jump the queue.

A tough stand is not tantamount to racism or xenophobia. It is sound public policy.