Get Australians back to work before reopening to large-scale immigration

Before the country has even started on reforms to strengthen resilience and independence after COVID-19 and tensions in our China relationship, there are calls to fall back onto the old pathway of high net immigration to boost the economy, regardless of the effect on living standards (“It’s lift-off soon, but can we handle the baggage”, 2/6).

The immediate priority should be to get Australians back into work. Domestic savings are going up; households limit their spending when the job outlook is bleak.

Giving priority to our underutilised skilled and semi-skilled workers should go hand-in-hand with using our resources. For example, Victoria’s Latrobe Valley has an underutilised workforce skilled in the power sector. A new high efficiency, low emissions coal power plant on the brownfield site of Hazelwood would create thousands of new jobs, regional economic development and new industries requiring reliable, low-cost power.

The universities are suffering because of a flawed business plan based on over-reliance on foreign student income. While there should always be room for some foreign students, this should not come with the risk of compromising the education of Australia’s youth, our values or security.

Ron Hobba, Camberwell, Vic

Judith Sloan (2/6) overlooks the need for us to get bigger and stronger just to play the role we must to foster regional security and prosperity. Indeed, we will need to run faster just to stay still in a neighbourhood of growing populations, expanding economies and pressure for influence from big players like China.

Demands for more border control and defence capability and co-operation with regional countries can only increase in such an environment. Skilled migration will be a key to this essential bigger and stronger future, as will economic growth. As I see it we don’t have a choice. We must grow stronger just to retain parity and not be at the mercy of those wishing to control our lives and our assets.

Doug Hurst, Chapman, ACT

A motto dishonoured?

Over the entrance to the Forgan Smith Building at the University of Queensland, majestically carved into the sandstone, are the words “Great is truth and mighty above all things”.

As a student and visiting alumnus, I was always proud to see that. I also enjoyed pointing it out to my children, who are currently students there themselves.

I am saddened that the deplorable treatment of Drew Pavlou, suggests that the Chinese Yuan is mightier still.

Andrew Shaw, Newstead, Qld

Doubly dudded

Bill Shorten overlooks in his emotion-charged media grabs (“Centrelink to refund $721m in robodebt”, 29/5 that there are debts and these people very likely owe them. Debtors are being let off the hook because of inept work by the Australian Taxation Office — and inadequate oversight by trouble-magnet Stuart Robert. So we the taxpayers are being doubly dudded by the ATO and these debtors.

Paul Everingham, Hamilton, Qld

Standards-shy

Rebecca Urban writes of a call for student teachers not to have to sit compulsory literacy and numeracy tests for graduation, and for the tests to be scrapped (2/6). The tests are said to be unfair to students with a disability, those with English as a second language, the indigenous and students with a refugee background.

No reference to unfairness to the children whose education must be hampered by teachers who cannot achieve an already lowered literacy and numeracy standard.

If the teaching profession wants to regain the prestige it once held, the focus should be on lifting standards, not relaxing them.

Bruce Collison, Banks, ACT