Cory Bernardi (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs, Senator Vanstone. Will the minister advise the Senate of the contribution of the migration program to the strong economic growth and prosperity enjoyed by Australia over the past decade? Further, is the minister aware of any policy alternatives?

Amanda Vanstone (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Bernardi, a new senator from my state, for this question. It is very clear that an immigration program managed properly can bring great benefits to the economy and great benefits to other Australians. I say ‘managed properly’ because I took the opportunity yesterday to remind the Senate of the disastrous management of the immigration program under the Labor Party. I reminded senators of the case of Mr Hong Lim, the Victorian member of parliament, who, when vulnerable migrants would say, ‘I want to bring my family out,’ would hand them a Labor Party form and say, ‘Here, join the fight.’ I reminded them of their own Barry Jones, who said that their management of immigration was ‘less than distinguished’ and who went on to point out that family reunion was seen as a long-term interest of the Labor Party. I also quoted Mr Herford, a former minister, and his comments on Sheikh al-Hilali being given residence because it was seen as politically advantageous. I mentioned Alan Wood from the Australian and the comments he made about Labor’s mismanagement of the migration program.

On my way back to the office I thought, ‘I was right to say that the best thing we’ve done about managing the migration program was getting rid of the other side,’ because we have managed it much better. And I thought, ‘Yes, that’s right: we won in 1996 when Celine Dion was singing It’s All Coming Back to Me Now.’ And guess what? On the way back to the office it did all come back to me: the Theophanous case. It just came out of the clear blue sky. I thought: ‘Theophanous—now what did he go to jail for? Heavens above, I’d better refresh my memory!’ I had a quick look, and I think a jury found him guilty of four of six charges over his dealings with Chinese nationals seeking visa and immigration help. I thought: ‘Oh dear! What a shame it is when you don’t manage the program properly; it goes badly.’

We on the other hand have managed the program extremely well. I remind senators that Mr Beazley, the guy who wants to be Prime Minister, said that we are ‘driving a wages and conditions race to the bottom’. So, I thought, we will have to have another look at that. I like to be fair, so I thought I would look at real wages growth. I saw that it was 0.2 per cent under Labor. Under us, real wages growth has gone up to 16.8 per cent. I looked at real, net household wealth and I saw that it has more than doubled. I looked at unemployment and I saw that there was a peak of 10.9 per cent under Labor. Now, at 4.6 per cent, it is at its lowest since October 1976. Some people might like ABBA, but I prefer Paul Simon’s 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover. But who cares: that is what was happening when unemployment was last at 4.6 per cent.

Average inflation now is half what it was under the Labor Party. When you manage the program well you do not have a wages and conditions drive to the bottom; you build the Australian economy, you build jobs and you build security for Australians and for their children. You put more Australians into work. There has been a 20 per cent increase in Australians in work in the time that we have been managing the migration program. Does that look like we are bringing in people to take Australian jobs? No. It looks like we are bringing in people to build the Australian economy.

Let me see what else there is: there has been a 50 per cent reduction in the long-term unemployed. Does that look like we are being difficult for the disadvantaged? No. It looks like we are building the economy. Australians understand and support our management of the migration program. They know that, if you want to talk about migration rorts, there is no better place to look than over there.

Honourable Senators:

Honourable senators interjecting—

Paul Calvert (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order!

Cory Bernardi (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Given the government’s management of the migration program, would the minister please detail what changes there have been to the attitude of Australians towards migration?

Amanda Vanstone (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That is a very astute supplementary question from Senator Bernardi. While we have been in government the Australian community has changed its attitude to migration. I note that, when Labor was in government around 1992, the proportion of people who said that immigration had gone too far or much too far was up at the 60 per cent level—60 per cent of people thought you had it wrong. That has come down now to under 30 per cent. So we have halved the dissatisfaction level on migration. The dissatisfaction level with the management of the migration program was double under you lot.

But there is more; oh, yes, there is more. If we look at who said immigration had not gone far enough and who had confidence in migration, what proportion was that? Only five per cent thought that under Labor. Something like 20 per cent think that under our government—four times as many people— (Time expired)