Isn’t it interesting that no migrants’ voices have been heard during the chaotic debate about migration?
Remembering the first time I applied for an Australian visa when I was a teenager, a campaign slogan on the application form shocked me.
It read: “People Our Business.”
It was too strange to forget, and made me laugh at myself — I was just a business.
The recent debate, particularly Opposition Leader Peter Dutton’s budget reply speech last week, has brought up memories from nearly two decades ago.
Having lived in Australia for nearly two decades, I have a better understanding of how the business works than some politicians.
A perfect example was the shadow treasurer’s speech at the National Press Club this week.
As Treasurer Jim Chalmers said about Angus Taylor’s budget reply: “He couldn’t explain the migration numbers.”
“This was the most shambolic appearance by a senior politician at the National Press Club in memory.”
Growth vs burden
Australia needs migrants to contribute to the growth of this country’s prosperity.
But it sounds like our politicians think they are burdens.
When I was an international student, I was just a number in the Net Overseas Migration (NOM) data — which includes both permanent and temporary migrants.
However, when I became a permanent resident, I was considered part of both the NOM and the permanent migration intake figures.
If Dutton and his party intend to cut the NOM figure — which we don’t know yet — then it is cutting opportunities for Australia’s business.
The impact could be huge.
Just think about when the Morrison government told international students and working holiday-makers to go home during COVID-19.
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Australians who had invested in properties near universities suffered huge losses after tens of thousands of apartments across the country were vacated.
Many restaurants serving large numbers of overseas visitors struggled and plenty had to close.
Hundreds of migration firms went into limbo due to a lack of customers.
A lot of those businesses were owned by Australians, many from migrant backgrounds, whose voices were not heard.
Repeating the practice of cutting down the NOM could further damage Australia’s global reputation as a country that wants immigrants.
Whose benefit?
Cutting down the NOM — of which international students make up a significant part — will not solve the housing crisis.
According to research from the University of South Australia, international students are more vulnerable in securing accommodation.
Last month, a report from the Property Council of Australia stated that international students only made up 4 per cent of our rental market.
The report suggested that rents started rising during COVID-19 “when there was no international student migration and most students had returned home”.
However, both the Labor government and the opposition have said one of the solutions for the housing crisis is to reduce international student numbers, which shows a lack of research and consultancy.
But pointing fingers at migrants — who cannot vote in the upcoming federal election next year — could be just a political stunt.
Instead, they should be investing in infrastructure to support Australia’s population growth through migration.
Migration policy needs a shift in perspective
The Labor government had already tightened the requirement for student visas before the budget.
Multiple migration agents and international education experts expressed their concerns recently, saying they fear more of their clients will be refused by the Department of Home Affairs (DHA).
Chinese working holiday-makers were even facing the expiration of their visa applications as the DHA quietly suspended new applications from China, due to a “large volume of interests.”
But let’s be clear, the migration system is putting people in this country into different classes, a world that many of us — as migrants — are used to.
Like the day I arrived in Melbourne and started looking for a kitchen-hand job in a Chinese restaurant, the chef told me: “Australians look down on migrants, old migrants look down on new migrants, new migrants look down on international students — you are at the bottom of the food chain.”
Indeed. But the question is: without me, as an international student working as a part-time kitchen hand in a Chinese cafe, how many Australian citizens would want to do the job?
Migrants are people, not just a business.
This debate and policy approach highlights a deeper issue in how we view and treat those who come to Australia seeking better opportunities.
It’s more than economic figures or political points.
The ongoing controversy in Australia’s migration policy reveals a need for a shift in perspective.
One that sees migrants as integral members of our society — not just as economic units to be managed.