Joe

There is nothing hypothetical about the myriad of problems associated with high population growth. Yes, there would be no housing crisis were government not so restrictive of development rights, but the other problems would still be there. My concern is that the current high immigration rate is being used less for the purpose of nation building and more as a get rich quick scheme for some at the expense of other Australians.

byork, "Cornflower, could you actually suggest a number then?"

Like the government, you are just not listening. It is up to those who would have increased immigration to put the business case in detail and to convince the voters, not the other way around.

That is how democracy works, or should work, which is more the question at present.

dog-whistler's (one of them anyway),

Joe, Joe, Joe, to speak hypothetically is really not nailing it on the head. Not that your post of your view on a hypothetical outlook was totally out of the question, no, no it wasn't. It did give some food for thought. However, let us look at it realistically. Now, with the matter of needing more skilled workers. I can't quite swallow that theory. Fantastic in the Menzies era but we are talking about the 21st century.

Australia has plenty of 'skilled workers' but very few 'slave workers' that would work for a couple of bob or two. Now this is where immigration comes in. OK all good isn't it. As I have stated in another post, it is a human right to be able to travel the world and settle where ever one would like to settle, made home, assimilate and become one of them. But again I do stress, without prejudice or being bias, what you are suggesting is not a realistic or a hopeful plan/policy outlook. Indeed it has passed it's use by date. Those Menzies times are over. To ban cotton and rice production. Don't worry about banning the cotton farm it is in dye-straights and bank-rupt, and wants the gove. to lend a hand with funding. The Murry-Darling is in desperate need of help in that dept. Education, yes well, schools in the outer regions do not have proper electricity, at time non at all let alone a good water supply indeed they have no water at times at all! What does that tell us? And moving on now, with the education topic. It is an excellent idea to sell our education to student off-shore, be bring them over to oz and pay through the noise to be educated at one of our uni's or tafe's. Look at it at another angle. If we need to do that, gosh what does that tell us

Cornflower is not willing to put a figure on the intake he/she thinks 'sustainable'. Oh well, I can only ask Divergence yet again to put forward an actual figure. It's a reasonable request, as Divergence has agued that it's not about stopping immigration but reducing the current level. Okay, reduce it to what?

Having occasionally entered this debate at other sites, there is a pattern in the reluctance of those who argue against further immigration, or variations on that idea, to commit to actual numbers. This applies equally to Gillard/Brown and probably Abbott, too.

I suspect they don't want to commit to a figure because, once they do, then it can be dissected, analysed, and the onus can be shifted to them to indicate which element of the immigration program should be reduced. It makes the debate more real, practical, rather than a vehicle for the expression of generalisations, usually unsubstantiated ones or reactionary ones.

A complexed issue for our gove. but not for me.

You see, I am at the view, that there needs to be a lot of work done to see that all Australian's are benefiting the wealth that Australia has. Isn't it claimed to be the lucky country? Or is that just a lot of puff? Travel around and you will witness the homeless people and the amount of the mentally ill without the proper care. Goodness gracious, charity start in the home first and that is not to say that we so not have to put are hand in our pockets either. Again, I do sugest to you, that there is enough wealth or wealthy people in Australia but unfortunately it is not balanced out correctly. The idea to grab people from other parts of the world for 'skilled labour' or rather slave labour it not on.

I am all for immigrations. But - Look at it this way. If you are not properly set up, have a secure roof over you head, the best education for you kids. Money in the bank or in property or super, what ever you are comfortable with. Have secure working conditions with excellent pay, you feel rich and well off in Australia, the lucky Country! Let us imagine that the population is not in die-straits with the seat of your pants hanging out. Now if that is that case well then ,Yes, let us help those that need genuine help. But is that the case? Is that the real deal within the Australian population? Don't give me the 'you must share what you have' answer, because that is not a solution.
1% of the population hold 22% of the wealth,
5% hold 45% of the wealth
10% hold 58/12% of the wealth
20% hold 72% of the wealth....

Lets get this in order first.

Loudmouth, I have never been able to understand this fixation with the eastern states having to let their water run down to South Australia.

Just why should very large amounts of Queensland rain have to be allowed to be wasted to evaporation, just to provide SA with a nice fresh water water sky dam, & a pool of water for their wine & dairy growers. The water could be much more efficiently used where it fell, & rice & cotton offer a much better return than water skying.

In fact, I believe we should either close South Oz down, & avoid all that waste, or perhaps excise it from the Oz migration zone, & fill it up with boat people. What ever we do, good Queensland water should not be wasted bu letting it run down that way, It's just not right.