Migration is election hot potato

Opposition leader Tony Abbott yesterday directly launched the fraught issue of immigration into the campaign for the August 21 election, playing to fears in key areas of the country.

Although Abbott formally dissociated himself from the linkage as he announced the Coalition's intention to almost halve present levels of migration, the debate has also embraced the even more sensitive question of asylum seekers.

And he has placed the Opposition in sharp contrast to the less-defined promise of "sustainable" population growth advocated by Prime Minister Julia Gillard, who last week declared the election a "referendum on our quality of life".

Yesterday's announcement also confronts voters with the choice between two leaders who both arrived as child migrants - Gillard from Wales and Abbott from England - and who both now warn against excessive population growth.

"Most are not aware but I am a migrant myself," Abbott said.

"Australia is an immigrant society [but] it is important that an immigration programme has the support of our people, and that is what this policy is designed to ensure."

As Abbott detailed his plans, the Liberals dumped David Barker, their candidate for the safe Sydney Labor seat of Chifley, after Facebook attacks on Labor Muslim rival Ed Husic, and arguments against Muslims in Parliament.

Husic, a "non-practising" Bosnian Muslim, had previously suffered from a campaign against him during his candidacy for the nearby seat of Greenway in the 2004 election, which was credited with contributing to his defeat.

Yesterday, after a Daily Telegraph report detailing his campaign, Barker told ABC radio he believed (a Christian) God was the only way to heaven and a Muslim candidate should not run for the seat.

"I don't know if we want at this stage in Australian politics a Muslim in the Parliament and an atheist [Gillard] running the Government."

Abbott declared Barker "dead and gone" and replaced him with local businesswoman Venus Priest.

But the brief row demonstrated the sensitivity of a population debate that has involved ethnic and religious tensions, paranoia at the growing numbers of asylum seekers arriving by boat - and a resulting contest for hardline responses by the major parties - and T-shirts and bumper stickers declaring: "F*** off, we're full."

Australia is one of the most successful and diverse multicultural societies in the world, accepting more than six million migrants from almost 200 countries since World War II. More than 40 per cent of Australians were either born overseas, or had one or both parents born abroad.

But a soaring population has placed severe pressures on major cities. In the past five years the population of Melbourne has increased by 370,000, Sydney by 290,000, Brisbane by 219,000 and Perth by 199,000.

Both leaders have campaigned in key marginal seats where overcrowding, congestion and lack of infrastructure and facilities have become major issues.

Gillard has said she is opposed to the "big Australia" championed by predecessor Kevin Rudd, following Treasury forecasts of a population of 35 million by 2050.

But she has sidestepped questions on possible cuts to migration, saying she saw the issue more as one of planning and policy choices to avoid a nation which in parts suffered youth unemployment of up to 40 per cent, and in others was crying out for skilled labour.

Last week she promised A$200 million ($237 million) for more affordable housing in regional cities.

Business has argued against reductions in skilled migration and a Government employment task force warns Australia could be short of 36,000 tradespeople within five years.

Abbott said his policy would be "intelligently managed" and not damage industry and business, with skilled migration continuing and a new white paper produced to help make informed decisions about population growth.He did not nominate an ideal population size, but said it would be much smaller than the Treasury forecast.

MIGRATION POLICY

Intake - 300,000 immigrants a year.
Coalition - Wants a 130,000 reduction to 170,000 a year.
Labor Plan - Based on existing population trends that would most likely see the number of immigrants decrease to 175,000 in the current financial year and to 145,000 in 2011-12.

SOUNDBITES

* Opposition immigration spokesman Scott Morrison: "The difference between the Government and the Coalition when it comes to population policy is that the Coalition actually has one."
* Population Minister Tony Burke, in reply: "All he's done is take existing projections over the next 12 months or so and call them his policy."
* Victorian Senate Sex Party candidate Fiona Patten: "We have always been a forward-thinking party rather than a moving-forward party and frankly we are a party of real action."
* Climate Change Minister Penny Wong, Australia's first openly homosexual Cabinet minister, on Labor's ban on gay marriage: "On the issue of marriage I think the reality is there is a cultural, religious, historical view around that which we have to respect."
* Sydney Morning Herald columnist Latika Bourke: "The worst of Twitter is when politicians treat it like their itinerary."
* Tony Abbott, whose female vote is languishing: "Ladies and gentlemen, my life is full of strong women."
* Sydney barrister and author Charles Waterstreet, writing in Melbourne's the Age on the rescheduling of last night's leaders' debate to avoid clashing with MasterChef: "This country votes with its stomach."
* Former Labor Prime Minister Bob Hawke, on Abbott: "I like him personally, but he's mad as a cut snake."