Before weighing into the immigration debate, spend a night in hospital
I recently spent several days in a hospital. If immigrants are sent home, they would not function.
It shouldn’t surprise that some of those brave and enterprising enough to escape horrors in their homelands, also demonstrate significant entrepreneurial skills once they settle in Australia. We benefit enormously from this injection of talent and drive.
On the day before my hospital visit, my hair was cut by a man who was born in Iraq and later escaped to Turkey as a refugee. He made it to Australia, runs his own business and speaks Arabic, Turkish and English.
A highly skilled immigrant who has prospered in Australia, he observed that there were, of course, some flaws in Australia’s migration system, and the government was working to address them. But, he said, most migrants worked extremely hard and were not dependent on Centrelink payments.
“Migrant-owned businesses make an important contribution to Australia’s economy through employment, innovation, investment and economic activity, while also providing migrants with an alternative pathway to professional and financial independence,” he said.
Those driving the toxic and superficial immigration debate need to consider the practical realities of our country and the talented and diverse mix of people who make it work.