Immigration minister Philip Ruddock's announced increase in migration places for 2000-2001 further shifts Australia's immigration policy towards wealthier and better educated business and skilled migrants and away from family reunion and humanitarian entrants, who are predominantly poor and from the Third World.
The minister has also announced a possible contingency reserve to allow in up to 4000 aged parents, provided that the Senate passes legislation allowing the government to pass their health and social security costs onto their families.
The Migration (Non-Humanitarian) Program, under which the majority of immigrants enter the country, will increase from 70,000 in 1999-2000 to 76,000 in 2000-2001, an increase of 8.6%.
When combined with visas awarded under the Humanitarian Program, this increase will raise total settler arrivals for 2000-2001 to approximately 88,000, a slight reversal. Settler arrival numbers have dropped since 1995-96, the year of the Coalition's election, when the figure was 99,100.
The substantive increase is in the skilled stream, which rises from 35,000 to 40,000, a 14% increase, while the family stream only rises 7.5% from 32,000 to 34,400. Within the skilled stream, the two most favoured components are business skills visas (which will rise from 6000 to 6700) and independent and state-nominated entrants (from 14,300 to 21,350).
Ruddock described the increase as being a result of "the success of the new points test in attracting young migrants with strong English language skills and qualifications in high demand occupations such as information technology and accounting".
More than half of those given skilled visas in 1999-2000 were rewarded for having an occupation on the "migration occupations in demand" list, which is worked out with the department of workplace relations.
The decision follows heavy pressure from business organisations for more skilled migrants. The Chamber of Commerce and Industry has welcomed the increase, mindful that the labour market shortage for certain skills can lead to increased wages.
The new parent category will require the family to give assurances that it will pay a social security bond of $10,000, refundable with interest after 10 years if no welfare benefits were claimed, and either take out private health insurance to cover the first 10 years after arrival or pay a health services charge of $25,000 per person.
Migrant advocates have condemned the scheme as hard-hearted. Australian Democrats spokesperson on immigration Andrew Bartlett described it as "ministerial blackmail".
The Humanitarian Program, under which refugees and others deemed worthy of protection are given visas, will remain at 12,000 for 2000-2001. However, the off-shore component of the program (10,000 places) has been frozen since February 14, when Ruddock claimed that undocumented boat arrivals had "swamped" the program.
BY SEAN HEALY