Federal Interior Secretary Peter Dutton called for debate on immigration to focus on "who we`re bringing in" and whether they`re getting involved, not about numbers.
Minister of the Interior, Peter Dutton.
The latest Newspoll News poll found that 56 percent of Australians believe the current one hundred and ninety thousand annual quota for permanent immigration is too high. Dutton said that the number of immigrants has declined since Labour`s government.
He said the government needs to try to encourage new immigrants to live in rural areas rather than in Melbourne or Sydney to ease the pressure on urban infrastructure.
"there are a lot of farmers in rural areas who want to keep abattoirs open so they can put beef on the market," Mr. Dutton told 2GB Radio. "they can`t because Australians can`t fill these job openings. So we must keep a good balance. "
"frankly, I think the more productive debate revolves around who we want to bring in, are they the right people, and do they fit in? Do they work hard and pay taxes? No one is stingy about it.
"as long as you bring in the right people, I think this is a priority, and we have decided to downgrade the number of immigrants from the levels of Rudd and Gillard, and the, Bill Shorten, as I said, is recommending an increase in the number of refugees. And we accept a considerable number of refugees every year. "
Mr. Dutton said he was aware of the "sensitivity" of questions about congestion and housing affordability in state cities.
"but these are economic discussions about the facts, we are facing an aging population, we want young people to pay taxes, we have to try to encourage people to move out of state cities and try to revitalize some towns."
Treasury Secretary: one hundred and ninety thousand is the upper limit of immigration, not the target.
Scott Morrison, Australia`s treasurer, defended Australia`s immigration rate. In a pre-budget speech to Australian business economists in Sydney yesterday afternoon, he told listeners that one hundred and ninety thousand of the annual permanent immigration intake was the upper limit, not the target.
"the Prime Minister and I revised it in 2016," Mr. Morrison said. "as a former immigration minister, I am aware of the difference between goals and ceilings and am pleased to make this change.
"We are now (the number of permanent immigrants we absorb every year) below this limit-a few years ago we were not-and now we are 7000 fewer than last year.
"the number below this limit will be due to demand, but it will also be the effect of tightening rules and visa systems. About half of the people who become permanent residents of this country are already here. "
Mr. Morrison says the proportion of migrants who appear to be growing is a large proportion of temporary immigrants.
"Don`t forget that tourists and international students, who are an important part of the economy and have brought a lot of growth that we have seen, are important to services exports," he said. "We need to consider the implications of seeking to change this trend.
"We want people to come here to contribute, not take anything, as long as you do it, as long as you maintain border security-no one can challenge us at this point-and you will see the net contribution of population growth from immigration programs.
"you must also build roads, schools, hospitals and infrastructure."
