A broad alliance of industry, small business, social service, multicultural, regional and migration organisations has called for a National Migration Summit following a week of competing migration announcements from across the political spectrum and yesterday's National Press Club address by Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke.
This week has seen a series of proposals focused on migration numbers, including calls to slash temporary migration and proposals to gut Australia's humanitarian intake. At the same time, some political voices have even suggested they're 'tired' of listening to economists and migration experts.
The alliance agrees with Minister Burke that net overseas migration doesn't tell the whole story, so instead of endlessly debating a number, why aren't we addressing the fundamental question: what kind of migration system does Australia need to meet its long-term economic, social and demographic needs?
Australia's migration system is about more than net overseas migration. It is about workforce needs, productivity, regional development, population ageing, social cohesion, humanitarian commitments and the nation's future prosperity.
The alliance is calling on the Australian government to urgently convene a National Migration Summit bringing together governments, business, unions, community organisations, researchers, migration experts and multicultural leaders to develop a long-term, evidence-based roadmap for Australia's migration system.
The proposed summit would help move the debate beyond short-term political cycles and year-to-year migration targets, toward a shared national vision that balances economic opportunity, workforce needs, housing, infrastructure, settlement outcomes and community confidence. This issue is too important for Australia's prosperity to not get right.
Organisations supporting the call include the Australian Council of Social Service, Australian Hotels Association, Australian Restaurant & Cafe Association, Council of Small Business Organisations Australia, Federation of Ethnic Communities' Councils of Australia, Migration Institute of Australia, Minerals Council of Australia, Refugee Council of Australia, Regional Australia Institute, Settlement Council of Australia, and Tech Council of Australia.
