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Pandemic exposed ‘another furphy’ about Australia’s immigration policy



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The pandemic has exposed “another furphy” about Australia’s immigration policy, according to Sky News host Peta Credlin.

It comes as Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has said the federal government is considering higher immigration numbers.

“Treasury's economic thinking is still stuck in the rut that ever-increasing immigration is necessary to keep the economy growing,” Ms Credlin said.

“Australia already has the developed world's highest immigration rates on a per capita basis.”

Ms Credlin said immigration policy is “supposed to be all about skills”.

"We're always told doctors, nurses, IT specialists, engineers, and the tradies that you can't get when you need them; Immigration Minister Alex Hawke today said it was all about bringing in the Silicon Valley types," she said.

“But hang on … the workers who’ve disappeared and the industries that are crying out for higher immigration aren’t the high-tech ones.

“Since the pandemic started, it's hospitality that can't get serving staff; agriculture that can't get fruit and vegetable pickers; and nursing homes that can't get cleaners and nursing aides.

“While there's no doubt that just about every immigrant is making a good contribution to Australia, immigration is not making us the clever country, as the pandemic-driven pause has shown.

“It's largely been filling the jobs that Australians won't do because the pay's not good enough, or they think are beneath them, or that they'd rather let go and stay on welfare.”
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