Australia is in terms of landmass, a very large country but the population has always been relatively small and as of writing is somewhere north of twenty five million people. If you don’t include Alaska, it is comparable in landmass to the continental United States which has a population that is now getting close to four hundred million. There are also much smaller countries in Europe which have much higher populations than Australia. This leads to the misapprehension by the geographically ignorant that Australia can support a much larger population than it currently has. This requires willfully ignoring that most of the continent is a desert wasteland and prone to drought and that both our water supply and agriculture requires careful management. In my lifetime alone, there have been multiple serious issues in these areas and the next one is just around the corner. The population is now close to double what it was when I was born and against the wishes of the majority of Australians — is to continue to get bigger.
The major issue affecting all major population areas at the moment is the shortage of available housing and when this is discussed in mainstream media; the possibility of reducing immigration is rarely even brought up. Yet this is the main reason for the serious housing shortage and the quickest way to solve it would be to reduce immigration.
The first thing to consider before moving forward is that the vast majority of migrants to Australia (as indeed to any majority European nation), are economic migrants. They are not here for democracy. They are not here for freedom. They are not here for the weather. And they are not here for the increasingly vague notion of “Australian values.” They are here because even the poorest in Australia can be more materially wealthy and comfortable than they can in their own nations.
The reason why Australia is a successful and prosperous country is because like Canada, New Zealand and the United States, it was settled by British people. It is the people that make Australia what it is and not the landmass. The dirt isn’t magic. One of the major reasons why Australia and many other nations are now declining in prosperity is because this population has been diluted. Immigrants to Australia do not leave the problems of their home nation behind; they bring it with them — they are their nation. As the foreign population in Australia increases, this fact is becoming clearer by the day and ordinary Australians are now direct witness to this change. People who are used to brazen corruption, crime and squalor don’t have the same standards for comfort as most Australians do.
Nonetheless, it is essentially a bipartisan belief that Australia needs more and more foreigners to help our economy. It is often claimed that immigrants fill in a skill shortage or that new immigrants will solve the problems in our decaying regional settlements. Despite these claims, many of the people coming are only adding to our already multi-generational and parasitic underclass. And new migrants are not moving into rural areas but straight into ethnic enclaves within our major cities. Roads, hospitals and other services are increasingly stretched and even the wealthy are not completely immune from the effects of this rapid increase.
As mentioned, the biggest strain currently is with housing and this frequently in the news. I experienced it directly last year when finding a new home for my family and I still consider it providence that I was able to find a place at all. Even having a place does not protect you as the shortage is pushing rents up along with the rising interest rates making it more difficult for people with one or many mortgages.
The immediate and obvious solution for any politician regardless of their ideology would be to reduce immigration simply as a matter of prudence until the strain is reduced. This is not happening. These same politicians who apparently care about the environment, also typically do not consider the environmental strain that mass immigration causes either.
Politicians and people in a position to do something about this are not doing anything and for a number of reasons. The pollies on both sides are well-aware that promises to at least limit immigration have always been popular with Australian voters even when they don’t actually carry these promises out. This was demonstrated aptly in the bait-and-switch of the Howard government which went hard on illegal entries while significantly increasing legal entry. The general population is a little wiser to this now but neither major party is taking advantage of the election winning potential of merely promising to do something about immigration. This is also because Australians don’t actually make these decisions and the people’s will is subordinate to industry, finance, NGOs and other lobby groups. This is why they won’t allow the matter to be considered directly by the people because it would certainly pass.
Another simple reason is related to personal greed. Much of the boomer generation own their homes and are delighted to see the obscene increase in value of their homes. The boomers are notorious for their callous disregard for anyone who will continue to be alive after they’re dead and thus very few have made provisions for their children’s future — assuming they had children at all. Many own multiple homes that their children probably aren’t living in. A large number of politicians (including the Prime Minister), also own multiple homes and are likewise pleased to see the value of their property continue to go up. Those high up in banks, corporations, government and anyone with a safe and stable income are not concerned about the problem despite the minor bothers they experience such as waiting longer in traffic.
What is left is the younger generations of Australians including those who have not yet grown old enough to see the difficulties they are to encounter and who would welcome any reduction in the amount of people coming here. Even the foreign among us must now be getting fed up with immigration now that they’re over the border. Most would probably support anything that would secure the ground they’ve claimed.
The only thing being done about this problem are promises for more housing which seems to take the form of much smaller (and still expensive) city housing which the politicians will probably have early investment opportunities in. This is a bit ridiculous since this will not immediately address the problem as cutting immigration would. It also overlooks that a number of building companies have collapsed and the industry itself is not at all healthy. What has been said by others with more knowledge than me is that this whole fiasco is a desperate attempt to hide and delay the obvious economic crisis Australia is currently experiencing.
The answer to all this as always is not envy or anger although I confess to feeling both. The answer is to continue to live as best one can and avoid the system’s games. Avoid debt, sacrifice luxuries where possible and live honestly. This alone will choke a system that requires constant indulgence to survive. For those in the position to do so, they should consider the needs of their family and community over material wealth which does not follow you to the grave. Everyone can do this in one way or another. Even I can and the most expensive thing I own is my almost twenty year old car.
On the political level, make this known to your local member and don’t give your vote to anyone that supports this. This will have limited effect early on but the more that do it, the better. Don’t put your trust in politicians though.
As always, Trust in God and his Son, Jesus Christ and put all your Faith and Hope in Him.