Wrong track on 457 visas

These are hard facts that Prime Minister Gillard had chosen to ignore in her senseless assault on Australia's immigration programme.

What makes her statements look even more ludicrous is the revelation that her own media manager, John McTernan is working in Australia on a 457 sponsored visa.

Could Gillard not find anyone from within Australia to head her communications team?

Despite being an immigrant herself, why has the prime minister failed to sell out the achievements of Australia's immigration programme to the electorate?

Why did she have to resort to fear mongering amongst the voters despite there being no proven evidence suggesting that immigrants were stealing 'Aussie jobs'?

Unfortunately these and many other questions have not been answered well by the prime minister and her administration officials.

What we know however, was that Gillard was just implementing a populist agenda that her media managers said would click well with the Australian people. This has not been the case as many Australians from all walks of life have expressed their concerns regarding the government's political attacks aimed at migrants in the country.

Trying to scapegoat immigrants in order to conceal its own internal breakdown has been a government strategy of late, but it is a narrative that has failed to deliver the desired political outcomes.

The Gillard government has alienated significant sections of the electorate as it seeks to terrify them about immigration at a time when labour shortages across the Australian economy are high.

However, one serious lesson that the government should learn from this entire episode is that it urgently needs to correct its political narrative on immigration. The sooner it is done, the better.