According to the Herald Sun, new research shows that many Australians are reluctant to criticise mass migration because they fear being labeled racist.
(The Australian Population Research Institute,TAPRI, the Australian demographics group, conducted the study and found that most Australians and elites view immigration differently.
For example, according to the 2017 TAPRI survey, 54 percent of voters want to cut immigration, and 74 percent believe Australia is already crowded.
But according to a recent Australian election study by the Australian National University, only 4% of federal candidates in 2016 voted for a cut in immigration.
TAPRI researcher Katharine Betts will release a report on immigration. Betts said that while voters are worried about immigration and population growth, it has little impact on government policy. "there are two main reasons for this. First, the political pressure exerted by the Treasury and the Australian Reserve Bank on public policy makers. Second, some cultural elements (most college graduates) put social pressure on them. These regulators promote the idea that opposing large numbers of immigrants is racial discrimination. "
Betts said the TAPRI survey confirmed this too, with nearly 2/3 of voters arguing that those who question large numbers of immigrants are sometimes treated as racists. Of these, 2/3 said the racist hypothesis was unwarranted, but 41 per cent of graduates said it was reasonable speculation.
Betts said the survey also found that people suspected of racial discrimination were less likely to voice their opposition to the introduction of large numbers of immigrants.
"growth-seeking sectors benefit from immigration, but at the expense of the silent majority of society."
