What is this I don't even...

[slothpomba]

Population of Australia: ~21 million, Area: 7,692,024 km2
Population of Germany: ~85 million, Area: 357,114km2

You realise most of Australia is uninhabitable desert right?

Almost everyone lives along the costal regions and with the water shortages we're going through i reckon we're close to reaching out carrying capacity unless they do something to improve that.

[Spreadbury]

I agree with this guy in terms of his "immigrants should adapt, not australia" policy. If you want your culture to be recognised it seems logical to do so where your culture is already widely accepted rather than force others to accept your culture. I mean would anyone here go to an islamic country, form together with a bunch of self-righteous people and demand non-halal meat be available in their markets?

and in regards to having a low population it seems like a good thing. depite our meagre population in terms of the land we have we're still struggling to find jobs for everyone, there's drought which would worsen were there more people. Look at china, there's famine and overcrowding there and it's not a good thing

i'm not like the guy in the first post I don't believe immigration should be barred and we shouldn't be accepting, but we shouldn't have other cultures forced on us when it's the immigrants choice to move out of that country. other than if your country's wartorn wouldn't your main reason to move be a change of scenery (if it's completely voluntary, not for work or anything like that)?

once again i'm not racist or anti-immigration but I think that immigrants should be more accepting of our culture than we have to be of their's (not to say we shouldn't accept their's at all)

[Duck]

My opinion: Racist, uneducated bogans need to realise that roughly 100,000 skilled immigrants come into the country each year and boost our economy while humanitarian immigration (read: refugees) is like 10,000. Assuming that we are talking about the 10,000 because no rational person disagrees with skilled immigration then the one thing i would like to see is tougher policing on these refugees. Anyone who is offered welfare and haven in Australia who then commits an indictable offence, or multiple summary offences, should be deported and someone else offered a place in this great country. Also, skilled immigration do not 'take our jobs' because they employ in areas with skill shortages (currently accounting, doctors and engineers i believe) and will most likely then create employment.

[Cianyx]

+1 to Spreadbury

While I'm probably the last person to be a nationalist or concerned about protecting Australia's "national identity" (whatever the hell that means), but the letter did raise a good point, whether intentional or not. Think about it on a smaller scale: Let's say you're at a party, what are the odds that someone would talk to you if you sat in the corner listening to your ipod? Similarly, new immigrants are more likely to congregate within their circle rather than mix with the wider community. It's only natural to do so but from the side of the society at large, this comes across as being hostile. And I don't really think I need to add about what comes after.

I believe anyone who is willing to contribute, and possesses the capability to execute it, are free to do so. However, blatant immigration is not the answer