Australia cuts annual immigrant cap 15 percent, puts key cities off-limits to some

By Colin Packham

 

FILE PHOTO: Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison speaks during the INPEX Gala Dinner in Darwin, Australia November 16, 2018. David Moir/Pool via REUTERS

 

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia on Wednesday cut its annual intake of immigrants by nearly 15 percent, and barred some new arrivals from living in its largest cities for three years, in a bid to ease urban congestion.

 

Prime Minister Scott Morrison - who is trailing badly in the polls ahead of a federal election in May - hopes to tap into rising voter frustration over house prices and congestion, which some see as a consequence of population growth.

 

"This is a practical problem that Australians wanted addressed," Morrison told reporters in Canberra, the capital, after announcing the annual immigration intake would be cut to 160,000 people, from 190,000 previously.

 

The immigration policy change comes at a time of national reflection over Australia's attitude towards migrants after the shooting of at least 50 people at two mosques in New Zealand's city of Christchurch.

 

Australian Brenton Tarrant, 28, a suspected white supremacist, was charged with murder on Saturday after a lone gunman opened fire at the two mosques during Friday prayers.

 

"My great frustration is that, in addressing these issues of population and immigration programs, these debates often get hijacked by those of competing views who seek to exploit them for other causes," Morrison added.

 

"I reject all of that absolutely."

 

A ReachTel poll published in September showed that 63 percent of Sydney residents supported curbs on the number of migrants moving to Australia's biggest city.

 

Morrison said the cap would include places for up to 23,000 people who could migrate to Australia under a new skilled visa.

 

Such arrivals could gain permanent residency after living outside of Australia's largest cities for three years, he added.

 

They will be barred from living in Melbourne, Perth, Sydney or the Gold Coast, where infrastructure is overutilised, said immigration minister David Coleman.

 

Authorities will require proof of residential and work addresses in future applications for permanent residency, he added, as a way of enforcing the requirement.

 

(Reporting by Colin Packham; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-03-20

Can we follow the example of the NZ PM and cease mentioning the name of the man who murdered 50 people in NZ?

 

-Interesting strategy or thought ( I am not disagreeing or agreeing) The problem to me in the 21st Century is when immigrants do not want to conform / accept the culture of the country they have chosen to live in. This does not mean they have to give up their religion or wearing a hijab or own customs, but to make an effort to learn the local language and accept the country’s democratic beliefs. The parents may not be fully submerged into their new “homeland” but it is important for their children to feel like citizens of the country they are growing up in. Many of us Westerners have seen the advantages and creativeness of diversity in a city and many of our ancestors were once immigrants. 

8 minutes ago, toenail said:

-Interesting strategy or thought ( I am not disagreeing or agreeing) The problem to me in the 21st Century is when immigrants do not want to conform / accept the culture of the country they have chosen to live in. This does not mean they have to give up their religion or wearing a hijab or own customs, but to make an effort to learn the local language and accept the country’s democratic beliefs. The parents may not be fully submerged into their new “homeland” but it is important for their children to feel like citizens of the country they are growing up in. Many of us Westerners have seen the advantages and creativeness of diversity in a city and many of our ancestors were once immigrants. 

I recall when the Italian, Greek and Vietnamese immigrants were accused of living in conclaves/ghettos when they first arrived, but a few into their stay here they moved out and developed many areas where Australian born people did not want to live, these are some very desirable areas in our major cities.

I guess if restricting new arrivals from high population areas the chances of quicker community involvement is higher.

I hope before this occurs though that Federal Government has sufficient funding to improve regional /rural infrastructure for housing/ health/education and WATER, in the regions they insist that the new arrivals inhabit.

This will also have to include training for support services, as well language skills, and the ability to utilise they varied skills the new arrivals will have.

We already have way too many university educated persons from immigrant backgrounds driving public transport, because their qualifications are fully recognised here and they are unable to under further education and training to utilise the training and skills they acquired overseas.

ScoMo floated this thought many years ago when he was Immigration Minister, but it was unable to grow legs back then, I hope this is NOT being floated again as dogwhistle politics to appease the right wing factions. 

 

 

get a hint NZ

20 minutes ago, Petchou said:

It's disturbing how descendants of people who have not been invited to that land, who commited crimes and genocide against the aboriginals, are today dictating who should be immigrant or not.

Give it a rest.

33 minutes ago, Petchou said:

It's disturbing how descendants of people who have not been invited to that land, who commited crimes and genocide against the aboriginals, are today dictating who should be immigrant or not.

But today's would-be immigrants want to immigrate to an Australia that was built by those people you are criticizing.

12 minutes ago, brokenbone said:

get a hint NZ

Agree. NZ does not have the infrastructure for the amount of immigration, and it should be limited if not stopped altogether till the infrastructure has improved. Not so long ago water restrictions were imposed because too many people have arrived. The housing/ rental prices are appalling now. The traffic is atrocious

At most, workers for the fruit industry allowed only during picking season.

As for the OP, why only 3 years? Should be permanent, unless they become citizens.

Interesting timing for this announcement. I am sure it has been planned for some time as part of the strategic lead up to the election. This does not stop it from being dog whistling.

2 minutes ago, Chang_paarp said:

Interesting timing for this announcement. I am sure it has been planned for some time as part of the strategic lead up to the election. This does not stop it from being dog whistling.

ScoMo floated this years ago when he was Minister for Immigration, it was slid off the table then, resurfacing now as his bid for legitimising his role as PM approaches, lowest common denominator stuff, get votes from One Nation supporters.

38 minutes ago, brokenbone said:

get a hint NZ

You are of course quite right

NZ should immediately ban all white supremacist terrorists and mass murders

 

 

1 minute ago, sonos99 said:

You are of course quite right

NZ should immediately ban all white supremacist terrorists and mass murders

 

 

Especially those travelling on Australian passports

1 minute ago, car720 said:

nobody is even mentioning the fact that there are no jobs for citizens let alone anyone else and that is in the cities.  In the bush it is worse.  Where is the common sense.  They are not allowed to get the dole for four years.

Hanson P will tell you plenty of jobs, people are just too lazy to work

Only 15%?

2 hours ago, RJRS1301 said:

I recall when the Italian, Greek and Vietnamese immigrants were accused of living in conclaves/ghettos when they first arrived, but a few into their stay here they moved out and developed many areas where Australian born people did not want to live, these are some very desirable areas in our major cities.

I guess if restricting new arrivals from high population areas the chances of quicker community involvement is higher.

I hope before this occurs though that Federal Government has sufficient funding to improve regional /rural infrastructure for housing/ health/education and WATER, in the regions they insist that the new arrivals inhabit.

This will also have to include training for support services, as well language skills, and the ability to utilise they varied skills the new arrivals will have.

We already have way too many university educated persons from immigrant backgrounds driving public transport, because their qualifications are fully recognised here and they are unable to under further education and training to utilise the training and skills they acquired overseas.

ScoMo floated this thought many years ago when he was Immigration Minister, but it was unable to grow legs back then, I hope this is NOT being floated again as dogwhistle politics to appease the right wing factions. 

 

 

Brilliant post.

 

Let me tell you that Australian agri-businesses are packed full of Malaysians,Chinese and Thai..

 

That is because the lazy 3rd generation unemployed Anglo-Celtics refuse to work..

 

They couldn't hoe a potato if you held a piece of Fairy Floss to their heads,

 

In my rural area there are a myriad of peoples from overseas working whilst the lazy original invasionists take drugs and shamble about the place looking like a mickey mouse reject from Detroit.

 

Same as in the US and UK,I guess.

 

What a shower!

1 hour ago, brokenbone said:

get a hint NZ

It wasn't a hint, it was a white, right wing Australian born terrorist.

2 hours ago, RJRS1301 said:

Can we follow the example of the NZ PM and cease mentioning the name of the man who murdered 50 people in NZ?

 

Why?

1 hour ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Agree. NZ does not have the infrastructure for the amount of immigration, and it should be limited if not stopped altogether till the infrastructure has improved. Not so long ago water restrictions were imposed because too many people have arrived. The housing/ rental prices are appalling now. The traffic is atrocious

At most, workers for the fruit industry allowed only during picking season.

As for the OP, why only 3 years? Should be permanent, unless they become citizens.

The current NZ govt has already put restrictions on immigration. They have also restricted ownership of property for non NZ citizens and permanent residents. 

 

Where were the water restrictions imposed "because too many people arrived" ? 

 

The only shortages I was aware of were in Gisborne which was caused by a broken pipe and in Oamaru when a water purifying plant was overwhelmed by a large inflow of water due to heavy rain. Auckland also had a problem in 2017 but again this was because of dirty water from too much rain. 

2 hours ago, Petchou said:

It's disturbing how descendants of people who have not been invited to that land, who commited crimes and genocide against the aboriginals, are today dictating who should be immigrant or not.

Your comment is valid yet it is difficult to nominate any location in the world where the same has not occurred historically. The human virus infects  even itself.

Off topic removed

I would like to know if Australia needs 160,000 more immigrants every year. why? 

An inflammatory post has been removed

2 hours ago, Krataiboy said:

Why?

I agree. Did Oswald's name spur a rash of presidential assassination attempts? Did Manson's name declare open season on celebrities? Sticking your head in the sand will only result in a beached brain.  

3 minutes ago, from the home of CC said:

I agree. Did Oswald's name spur a rash of presidential assassination attempts? Did Manson's name declare open season on celebrities? Sticking your head in the sand will only result in a beached brain.  

Precisely. The same could be said about mass killers like Hitler, Stalin, Chairman Mao - and. in fairness, a certain former warlord turned prophet.

Edited March 20, 20197 yr by Krataiboy

Good onya blue! Maybe if the UK ever gets free of the awful socialist EU the Uk will do something similar. We really are an incredibly overcrowded country.

2 hours ago, Odysseus123 said:

That is because the lazy 3rd generation unemployed Anglo-Celtics refuse to work..

 

They couldn't hoe a potato if you held a piece of Fairy Floss to their heads,

 

1 hour ago, Odysseus123 said:

It is even more disturbing that 10% of the useless Anglo-Celtic lazy fokkers-are raddled by drugs,addicted to their mobile phones and fancy themselves in Chicago..

Pure unadulterated hate speech. Try substituting Anglo-Celtic for black/muslim/homosexual or indeed any group other than the long suffering Anglo-Celts and re-read your sentences. Quite horrific.

1 hour ago, Odysseus123 said:

It is even more disturbing that 10% of the useless Anglo-Celtic lazy fokkers-are raddled by drugs,addicted to their mobile phones and fancy themselves in Chicago..

 

I upbraid them "Where is your Gallipoli spirit?"

 

Upon which they hunker down screaming.."Where is mum?":What happened to Centrelink?"

 

The real problem in Australia is the laziness of its white bottom feeders-the same as in the US and UK.

 

Amusing comment, most likely from someone that spends most of the day on a bar-stool

5 hours ago, RJRS1301 said:

Can we follow the example of the NZ PM and cease mentioning the name of the man who murdered 50 people in NZ?

 

I'm interested to know what purpose you think that would serve?

1 hour ago, AJBangkok said:

I would like to know if Australia needs 160,000 more immigrants every year. why? 

For a start 47k are partner visa allocation. Low birth rate, aging population, skills shortages, skilled migration increases government revenues, GDP and so on. Others say stop all migration - take your pick...

Edited March 20, 20197 yr by simple1

6 hours ago, Petchou said:

It's disturbing how descendants of people who have not been invited to that land, who commited crimes and genocide against the aboriginals, are today dictating who should be immigrant or not.

Are you for real ,Ain't you one of them? If Australia wasn't Invaded there would be nothing for the Abbo's to claim and to Bludge from the government  they would be still living in the bush and eating Grubs .????