Leah Blyth (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Stronger Families and Stronger Communities) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We must have an uncomfortable conversation about immigration. I stand here as the daughter of migrants. My mother migrated here from Burma; her parents were Indian and Burmese. My father arrived as a ten-pound Pom. They came with little more than determination and belief in the Australian promise—if you work hard, you could build a better life.

We were once seen as the lucky country. Sadly, that no longer rings true. By ignoring the problem or demonising the people raising it, it becomes an issue that will only lead to increasing community anxiety. Under Labor, immigration numbers have surged to levels that are simply unsustainable. It is outrageous because we cannot even house the people who are already here. Families are competing for rentals, young Australians are losing hope of ever owning a home, and our infrastructure is stretched beyond breaking point. This is not compassion; this is chaos. Our immigration program must maintain its social licence.

It's not only about housing. We have seen the admission of migrants with criminal backgrounds and some who would seek to do us harm. We have witnessed outbreaks of unrest; look at the marches around the nation just last weekend. Australians are left asking, 'Who is coming here, and are they coming here to uphold our values?' This erosion of social cohesion breeds fear and suspicion.

Immigration must be managed responsibly. It must be sustainable. It must be in the national interest. But right now, under the Albanese Labor government, it is anything but in the national interest. We are a generous nation, but generosity without responsibility fails both those who are already here and those who are coming to seek a better life in the greatest nation on earth. It is time to restore balance, common sense and faith in the promise that effort in this country is still rewarded. We must have that conversation.