We need a say on population
PAULINE Hanson’s promised Bill for a plebiscite on migration has little chance of success when parliament resumes in August.
However, an election-day plebiscite on population, not migration, is precisely what this country needs.
It is a vital issue yet successive governments have failed to articulate a clear policy on how big and how quickly we should grow, and what Australia’s target population should be in 2025 or 2050.
Population has an impact on just about every facet of daily life, particularly in capital cities where numbers have soared in recent decades.
In survey after survey, Australians have demanded a halt to the high migration numbers that are fuelling the growth, but both the Coalition and Labor have just pushed ahead with a Big Australia strategy.
As it stands Australia has one of the highest population growth rates in the developed world.
A plebiscite would force the major parties to heed public opinion on this most crucial of issues.
And I say that as one of the minority who supports big Australia and believes high migration is needed to fuel economic growth.
It is clear, however, most Austraare lians want to stop the high numbers and fast. A poll commissioned by SBS in 2016 showed 59 per cent thought the number of migrants coming here over the past decade had been too high, and a similar number was against increasing the refugee intake.
Research by The Australian Population Research Institute (TAPRI) last year revealed three in four voters believed we were “full” and did not support further population growth.
And the latest poll from The Lowy Institute had 54 per cent opposed to the current rate of migration.
The real figure may be even higher given a 2018 poll by TAPRI showed many Australians are reluctant to share their views on immigration levels for fear of being labelled racist; 65 per cent of respondents said those who oppose high migration numbers seen as racist and that made them feel “threatened and inhibited”.
One of the advantages of being an island nation with sound border protection policies and a relatively low birthrate is that we can determine what level of migration is needed to achieve our ideal population level.
But first we need to determine what the number is and that’s where direct democracy in the form of a plebiscite makes perfect sense.
A plebiscite asking what Australia’s population should be in 2040 with two options – 25 to 30 million or 31 to 35 million – would ensure the majority view is respected.
The current approach is haphazard with little long-term planning and ignores community sentiment given both major parties are on a unity ticket on population and growth.
Back in 1999 the federal government had a press release announcing Australia’s population, then at 19 million, would pass the 25-million mark around 2050. We will, however, reach that milestone next month, thanks to a significant surge in our annual intake of permanent residents.
In 2000-01 the number of permanent residents was only 80,610. This year we will see 190,000 permanent residents plus another 18,000 to 19,000 admitted under the humanitarian program plus many hundreds of thousands more here on temporary visas including students and workers.
Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton has discussed lowering the annual intake of permanent residents from 190,000 to 170,000 with Coalition colleagues, but was rebuked by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Treasurer Scott Morrison.
Migration has been the dominant factor in our soaring numbers. In 2017 it accounted for 62 per cent of the nation’s population growth.
On current estimates, the population will have grown to 37.5-41.5 million by 2050.
An election day plebiscite is cheaper than a regular plebiscite and would give disenchanted voters reason to believe their vote counts. However, there are some who only embrace democracy when their side is winning.
Witness the meltdown in the US and calls for revolutionary change for everything from the Supreme Court to the Electoral College as the Trump administration gets on with the business of fulfilling its election promises.
It is clear that population is a key issue for most Australians. They deserve to have their say.
AN ELECTION DAY PLEBISCITE IS CHEAPER THAN A REGULAR PLEBISCITE AND WOULD GIVE DISENCHANTED VOTERS REASON TO BELIEVE THEIR VOTE COUNTS.