Letter
Who will care for those migrants leave behind?
Haque tells us that the impact of immigration on population growth is unimportant. He then presents a case in which population growth is central. Haque is not breaking new ground, as he suggests, in discussing the importance of immigration to our care economy. This subject is trotted out by the promoters of immigration at every opportunity. The real problem is that the subject is not being discussed honestly. One glance at our current demographic profile by age and migration status tells us that immigration is not solving our care challenges so much as ensuring far greater challenges in the future. Migrants make up a third of Australian residents, and more than half of some young adult cohorts. It should be no surprise they make up a large share of workers in essential industries. This, however, does not necessarily reflect a need for migrants rather than the demographic reality of an unfettered mass migration program.
Haque asks before we debate migration, we should ask who will care for Australians? Given many of our health professionals come from developing nations, a more pertinent question would be: When we bring in workers to care who will care for the people they leave behnd?
— Graham Clews from 29 Apperly Close, Kambah, ACT. 2902