Julia's mixed messages reduce debate to absurdity

LABOR'S Sustainable Population position sank into farce yesterday when Julia Gillard contradicted her recent messages by saying this debate was not about immigration levels.

Having launched a crusade against a "big Australia" and attacked "hurtling" towards a bigger population, the Prime Minister insisted the real issue was not immigration. The public has every reason to be confused. Confronted at her Sydney doorstop with the direct question whether she was prepared to slow the population, Ms Gillard said: "I don't believe that this is an immigration debate in that sense."

On the other hand, she kept up the recent message, saying: "I don't believe we should just keep hurtling along without stopping, taking a breath and getting the policies right."

Ms Gillard has not explained how she rejects a big Australia yet eliminates immigration levels from her project. Opposition immigration spokesman Scott Morrison said Labor's campaign was "just hollow words".

The point is obvious: Ms Gillard's sustainable strategy is an election-driven political position without policy content or even rudimentary ideas.

She creates high expectations yet dodges any question of substance. At another level she may wish to quarantine the debate from putting at risk the immigration program with its ties to the labour market. The truth is that immigration levels are driven by labour market needs and the real policy failure lies in government planning and infrastructure.

Ms Gillard uses her sustainable population strategy as a "catch-all" slogan to express empathy across a list of public concerns. Yesterday, she said the idea was about water, soil, city planning, infrastructure, services, access to a doctor, the environment and getting migrants to where there are jobs.

It is almost an ideological concept for modern Labor designed to deliver the ballot box. Labor also wants to protect itself against opposition attack. In April, the Tony Abbott-led Coalition decided upon a cap on the rate of population growth to be advised by the Productivity Commission.

Labor was anxious to ensure the "sustainability" position was not surrendered to Abbott.