ANU Migration Hub – immigration gaslighter of the year

Among major wealthy nations, only Canada has had crazier levels of immigration. They claim to be cutting sharply. Their "progressive" leader (for 9 ½ years) appears to enjoy about as much credibility as ours (2 ½).

Earlier this year, the author had made an unabashed pitch for a "Migration Research Institute", supposedly for "reliable" information. Reliably favouring a high-immigration menu, more like it, whilst denouncing counterviews as "myths, misinformation, moral panic".

Likewise, in this brief he insinuates "normal" migration should be defined by "facts, not fear or misinformation". Yet he himself is no slouch at misinformation. Check the straw men in this article.

If facts be sought, "normal" migration looks like roughly 80,000. Indeed, were this complainant to suit himself, and check our 20^th century, or 20^th century peace-years, normal is only about 50,000-60,000.

"Normal" is not 225,000, nor 260,000, and certainly not 446,000. These rapid accelerations are of very recent origin. To spin them as anything like "normal" is not good historical practice. It's more like disappearing the first century of federation.

The beefy 21^st century migration numbers, though now baked into Treasury's misnamed "intergenerational" reports, have never been endorsed by voters. Who, in many surveys during and since COVID, still favour lower levels of migration .

It seems a low blow, for an entitled ANU academic to mock voters' legitimate (that is, standard-of-living) immigration concerns as ignorant fears .

The wrap

Finally, the author re-configures the COVID migration-disruption as if it created fascinating, oscillating, "ripple effects or shockwaves". Like, one more red herring.

Australia's post-2022 immigration (also temporary-visa) numbers are sky high – even when compared with Big Australia. Having regard for a judicious spirit of research and comment, it seems reprehensible, for the Hub to disappear this as if it's not even happening at all.

Few other notable migration-mavens (hi Abul Rizvi ) would go quite this far.

This brief, despite its expertise, is also gaslighting us. It's a pseudo-scientific variation on the "sensible conversation" meme, so beloved of our politicians and ABC (hi Laura Tingle).

That meme is always code for the higher people deciding on high migration. It would never allow the lower people to decide for low migration.