Tim Flannery speaks out against government immigration policies.
Australia should have an independent board to review and set immigration policy. That is the view of Tim Flannery, former Australian of the Year in 2007.
The scientist and environmental activist accused the government of using Australian immigration levels as a “tool of economic policy, economic development”. He also claimed that immigration levels were used by scare-mongerers who didn’t like foreigners.
He was speaking as the government announces expansions in urban boundaries to cope with demand as Australia’s population continues to grow. Mr Flannery said that no estimation had been done about immigration growth and the impact on the environment.
Many visa applicants will also agree with Mr Flannery’s sentiment that immigration was “far too important to be left to government.”
The Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship have come under plenty of fire in recent days. Their handling of refugee ‘boat-people’ has been criticised by several human rights charities and the opposition party. Also the shock changes to priority processing for state sponsored visas and the news that Australian visa applicants would not receive a refund, has not gone down too well with immigrant hopefuls. The DIAC’s policies have been bashed by both the UK and Australian media.
Mr Flannery says that in order to truly serve the interests of the Australian nation, a completely independent body, one that could not be bullied by the government, should be in charge of all aspects of immigration.
Comparing the independent body to the Reserve Bank he says a charter would be put in place that the body would have to abide by. “A full justification would have to go with each annual intake, exactly why from an environmental perspective, social and economic … done transparently.”
What do you think of Mr Flannery’s proposals? Do you have your own ideas about how the tricky topic of immigration should be handled in Australia? And by whom? Add your comments to this story or join our community and contribute to our lively debate on this topic.
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One Response to “Independent Board Proposal for Australian Immigration”
Comment by gerald middleton — November 20, 2009 @ 2:25 pm
hi .ihave a question.i have had my meds and police checks req. by diac and they have been done and submitted.now my agent tells me i may not hear a thing untill later than 2012,when the checks will have expired.
surely if the diac have instructed us to get these checks done ,they have entered into a verbal contract that they intend to process and application during the valid period of these checks.is anybody addressing this point with diac or am i wrong.