Julian Hill (Bruce, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Citizenship, Customs and Multicultural Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

Despite pressure from every state and territory saying they want a higher migration program, the government has kept it constant at 185,000. We have an ageing population. In 1980, we had about seven workers paying tax for every retiree. We now have about 3½, trending towards three. You cannot run a labour market, staff the aged-care homes or run our industries, and the healthcare system would collapse, without the contribution of skilled migrants. So I just want to get a few facts in the debate.

I say to anyone who wants to bring this debate, in the community or the parliament: be specific. Don't come here with generalisations and smears on groups of people. I look at the government bench over there. This reflects modern Australia. This reflects multicultural Australia. I don't know what that is, but it does not look like the country that we are. It doesn't look like the country that we are today. But anyone who wants to bring this debate needs to say specifically what they want to cut. Do they want to stop Australians from falling in love with people from overseas and say, 'No more husband and wife for you; you can't bring it here because people say we have to massively cut migration'? Do they want to cut—

See this speech in context