A nation’s immigration policy can reveal a good deal about moral and humanitarian issues as well as economic considerations. The recent changes in guidelines for immigration and the numbers allowed to come to Australia illustrate this point.
Anyone who knows Gerry Hand is aware of his sincerity and his integrity. Immigration, thanks to the recession and the evaporation of the post-war consensus that “Immigration is a good thing”, is looming as a significant political issue – and the Opposition’s opportunistic approach doesn’t help the debate focus on some of the crunch issues. In 1992, it is hardly a “plum job” to be Minister for Immigration.
The worst is over. There is still a lot of structural adjustment occurring, and that will lead to more unemployment in some parts of the economy in the next 12 months. But overall employment will grow.
I can remember sitting down in 1977 in Laurie Short’s office at 188 George Street, Sydney, and discussing the origins and development of the Trotskyist movement in Australia in the 1930s.
One can define the Left as the non-conservative forces in society; one can also define it more narrowly as the Left traditions within the labour movement. It is apparent that there are various traditions that make up the Left of the labour movement in this country.
Report by M.L. Parker, Presiding Commissioner, and M.B. Easson, Associate Commissioner, Industry Commission Report on Commercial Restrictions on Exporting (Including Franchising), Report No. 23, Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra, 27 April 1992.
The role of the Corrective Services Industries provides an important step in the rehabilitation of inmates to enable them, on release, to have an opportunity to engage in full time work. The scheme provides inmate employees with access to skills which will be marketable to industry, enhances self-esteem and provides an understanding of the nature of the work environment and requisite social interaction.
The notion of ‘industry policy’ conjures various ideas, prejudices and doctrines. The debate is charged with rhetoric, polarised and constrained by key-words. We inhabit a world of picking winners and level playing fields.
The 1990 National ALP Conference rhetoric lived up to expectations. However, the mood of most delegates seemed to this participant to be fairly relaxed. Even though some of the words were fiery, the hearts of most delegates were not alight with passion.
In 1990 there were many reminders that the post-war consensus about immigration to Australia no longer existed. Some spokespeople from all of the major parties were critical about some aspect of the immigration intake. The government decided to reduce the target of 140,000 – set after the Fitzgerald Committee review of Australia’s immigration policies – down to 125,000 for 1990-91.