Michael Daley responds after warning about Asian immigrants
NSW Labor leader Michael Daley copped a barrage of questions this morning over his comments about Asian migrants taking Australian jobs — saying “I call it as I see it”. GET UP TO DATE WITH THE TELE ELECTION PODCAST.
NSW Labor leader Michael Daley apologised after being caught on video warning regional voters that Asian migrants are taking the jobs of young Australians who being are forced to “flee” Sydney’s high cost of living — but said “I call it as I see it”.
Mr Daley copped a barrage of questions over his comments about Asian migrants today taking Australian jobs but insists he was discussing the issue of “housing affordability”.
The remarks, made in a “politics in the pub’’ session in the electorate of Blue Mountains were a very different tone to comments Mr Daley made two months later, praising the Chinese and their migration rates at a special Chinese-only press conference which he organised at Parliament House.
ELECTION PODCAST: DALEY FORCED TO RESPOND
Speaking at a press conference that lasted more than 40 minutes this morning, the Labor leader offered a qualified apology, saying: “If anyone has taken offence to what I’ve said I do apologise”.
MORE NEWS
Anti-Zali Steggall truck driving around Warringah
Criminal past of the man who tackled the eggboy
Why Christchurch survivor forgives gunman who killed wife
Mr Daley insisted he wanted to govern “for everyone” in Sydney “regardless of where you come from, what your background is” before steering the conversation towards Labor’s plans to address housing affordability.
“We are all in this together. In relation to housing affordability, what we’ve seen is the dream of young people become out of reach and the statistics are quite stark in relation to Sydney - it’s now the most unaffordable city in Australia,” he told reporters outside Allianz Stadium in Moore Park.
MORE: FULL NSW ELECTION COVERAGE
“What has happened in Sydney is that there is a whole generation of people who cannot afford to live there - I don’t want to see that happen. That is why we have formulated a comprehensive housing affordability package.”
However, he also said: “One of the things you know about me is ... I call it as I see it.”
Asked whether he would concede that his comments could be perceived as “racist”, Mr Daley said “if you look at the composition of family you’d hardly make that accusation”.
“Also the media reportedly correctly that when I became the Leader of the Opposition I held press conferences before the Chinese and Korean communities and media and spoke about the value and contribution of Chinese Australians,” he added.
“We are in the Asian region — the statistics bear almost half of the immigrants to Australia are from the Asian region — particularly the skilled migration scheme.
“They’re welcome to come to Sydney and I’ve said that, I’ve said it’s not a bad thing because Asian kids are coming to work here, it’s a bad thing because I’d like my daughter and others like her to remain here.
“So the issue is housing affordability, the issue is that young people can’t afford to live here — they’re leaving.”
Asked whether any Labor MPs had expressed concerns about his comments, Mr Daley said: “A couple wanted clarification and I’ve spoken to them and they’ve accepted what I’ve said today.”
Asked whether he thought Asian people were to blame for housing affordability problems in Sydney, Mr Daley said: “Housing affordability is a failure of the market and a failure of the government”.
When pressed on whether he believed this was due to Asian people moving to the the state, he said: “I’ve never, ever said anything like that”.
“What I’ve said is that housing affordability is the problem, people were moving out of Sydney and there was a ready workforce from other regions in the world who were taking up more jobs as they’ve been invited to do under the skilled migration scheme.”
The Daily Telegraph obtained video of Mr Daley addressing a forum in Wentworth Falls last September, where he warned the regional voters that young children were being “replaced” by people “typically from Asia”.
“Our young children will flee and who are they being replaced with? They are being replaced by young people from typically Asia with PhDs,’’ Mr Daley said.
“There’s a transformation happening in Sydney now where our kids are moving out and foreigners are moving in and taking their jobs. I don’t want to sound xenophobic, it’s not a xenophobia thing, it’s an economics question.”
A NSW Labor spokesman said: “Mr Daley was discussing cost of living and housing affordability pressures on young people in Australia’s only global city.”
The remarks are similar to comments by former opposition leader Luke Foley who almost lost the support of his colleagues when he warned “white flight” was occurring across Western Sydney with “many Anglo families” moving out.
At the Wentworth Falls event, one voter even questioned Mr Daley’s remarks about Asian immigrants taking jobs.
“I am deeply concerned by the comment you’ve just made about Asians taking over Sydney,’’ the forum member said.
“I was just wondering if you wouldn’t mind clarifying your comment a bit.”
Mr Daley responded: “It’s just a statement of fact that our young people are moving out of Sydney because they can’t afford to live here and are being replaced by international workers — most of those are from Asia. They are from China, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.’’
One of Mr Daley’s first tasks as Opposition Leader was to hold a specific Chinese-only press conference at which he passed on a “hello” from Bob Carr and praised Chinese migration.
“You’ve made our area a better home, a more vibrant place,’’ he told them.
Earlier today, Mr Daley issued an apology over his remarks at Wentworth Falls. In a statement issued this morning, he has written: “I could have expressed myself better. I meant no offence and hope none has been taken. I apologise if any offence is taken.”
“Sydney is a global city of more than 200 different cultural communities and all of our children should be able to continue to live here should they choose to. But many are being forced to leave Sydney because of high cost of living and property prices, notwithstanding some recent declines,” he said in the statement.
Metres from hell: Photos show how close fires came to homes
Chilling aerial photographs show how NSW fireys saved homes from almost certain destruction. Residential developments once hidden in hinterland now look like islands among an ocean of flattened and charred trees 335km north east of Sydney.
‘We have a religion problem’: Chris Bowen
Australians of faith believe the Labor Party has abandoned them, Chris Bowen warned yesterday as he withdrew from the ALP leadership contest just 29 hours after announcing that he was a candidate.