Even a cursory glance at Australian history shows that our nation was founded on immigration and has grown through a succession of immigration waves. Almost 40 per cent of Australia's population growth between 1947 and 1991 is attributable to net immigration.
Immigration is part of our identity.
Yet continually this is distorted through emotive, blinkered and uninformed debate. Because it is relatively easy to control, immigration has become a target of blame for complex and challenging social and economic questions. For some, migrants personify contemporary problems - symptomatic of mainstream anxiety about the future. We have heard much about the perceived costs of our immigration program, but remarkably little about its benefits and how we might extend them. Many concerns relate to the economy.