Pericles, perhaps keep an eye on Crikey:
http://www.crikey.com.au/2011/06/29/whos-who-in-4-4-trillion-foreign-farmland-spending-spree/

Or if you're really wanting further info, perhaps see if you can get information out of the FIRB - as I understand it, it's not very easy nowadays.

I've also stated previously that I'm for immigration - but it currently needs to be at emigration levels. We can always turn the tap back on.

But perhaps you might like to get hold of the book Overloading Australia by Mark O'Connor $20 delivered.
http://www.australianpoet.com/overloading.html

In relation to being emotional, well of course. I'm passionate about this and preserving my quality of life, our wildlife and a future for subsequent generations. You clearly do not subscribe to preserving what's good about Australia, have any concern about how much has been lost, indeed you're currently benefitting from it - the joke is that you don't even comprehend why you have a decent quality of life here and that you're actually arguing for lowering your quality of life.

Matt Moran, yes! Most of this continent is unlivable due to climate.
So percentage increase or per square mile are irrelevant.
How many people do think live in the Sahara, Pericles?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Koppen_World_Map.png

Divergence, good point about Golden Dawn (something Cheryl should be concerned about).
Pericles wants less government intrusion, wait til we get fascists with the balance of power.

Pericles "And I can't fathom a mindset that says Australians must be worried about more people, right now."

So let's wait until something REALLY terrible happens, then we can act.

More waffle, Divergence.

"But saying that we are going to import an excessive number of foreign nationals in order to drive workers into poverty doesn’t sound very good, so the rich gussie up their vile policy with pretty words like ‘diversity’ and ‘multiculturalism’, and they slander any opponent as a racist."

Another one-eyed view, "gussied up" as an either/or choice, when the premise itself is a furphy.

The number imported is not excessive. They are not imported "in order to drive workers into poverty", they are to fill job vacancies locals are unwilling or unable to take. The words "diversity" and "multiculturalism" are principally used by their opponents, not by the companies as is implied here.

Interesting that the race card is introduced here as a form of pre-emptive defence. Nagging guilt, probably. Need to get the retaliation in first...

I wonder where the German economy would be today without their Gastarbeiter?

And I take it that this is a form of retraction, Matt Moran?

>>Or if you're really wanting further info, perhaps see if you can get information out of the FIRB <<

Meaning, it would appear, that you now admit that this statement of yours was a complete crock?

>>...Australia has now sold more than 85% of it's wealth<<

Nice of you to admit it with such grace.

Appreciate the learned contribution from Shockadelic, as always:

>>Pericles wants less government intrusion, wait til we get fascists with the balance of power<<

I thought we already had? Or are you suggesting that the Greens do not already share most of the characteristics of a command-and-control, do-as-I-say fascist dictator mentality?

This is becoming very boring. Have a great day, everyone.

Pericles,

Here are the latest unemployment statistics from Roy Morgan Research

http://www.roymorgan.com/news/polls/2012/4836/

They say that real unemployment is 9.7% and underemployment (i.e., part-time workers who say that they want more hours) is 8.1%, a total of 17.8% unemployed or underemployed. If employers are unable to attract workers, perhaps they should try the free market solution of offering more money or better working conditions. Where it is an issue of skills, perhaps they might look at their training policies. You yourself might try talking to parents who are trying to find apprenticeships for their children. There is no way that a very young, inexperienced Australian can compete with a prime age migrant who has been fully trained at someone else's expense and has several years of experience. Of course, if Australia is ever in trouble, these same employers are likely to be braying that these same working class people that they were happy to throw to the wolves should do their patriotic duty and enlist in the military or be conscripted, perhaps to come back with pieces missing or not come back at all.

You still haven't explained why other countries can do so well with very little immigration or population growth of any kind, nor presented anything to refute the evidence that mass migration is of no significant benefit to most people. In the US, where they have practiced what you preach to a large extent, there is massive social inequality, and wages for the vast majority of the population have been largely stagnant since the 1970s, certainly far below the increase in productivity. You might have a look at the graphs in the State of Working America report

http://stateofworkingamerica.org/

Mass migration is not the only factor responsible, of course, but it certainly has played an important role.

You are correct that "diversity" and "multiculturalism" are more likely to be catchwords of the "useful idiots" on the Left than of the employers themselves.

I am no fan of racism, but if I had to choose, I would rather be called a racist than a traitor.

Everyone should stop trying to "debate" with Pericles.
He is a "true believer", and immigration is an article of faith to people like him (and The Greens, who you would also think would be more skeptical, and yes, they are totalitarians).

He claims he will change his tune in the future, when it's really necessary.
I suspect a mountain of surveys showing a decline in living standards would make no difference.
Skeptical of government in other matters, in this one issue, the government can do no wrong, cannot be questioned.

Why this contradiction?
Because immigration is opposed by "those people", the Nutzis.
And people like Pericles, who claim to want sensible debate, will never, ever want to agree with the Nutzis about anything.

No matter *what* happens the true believers will keep skipping merrily down the road chanting "Immigration is wonderful, Immigration is wonderful, Immigration is wonderful, see I'm not a Nutzi"

Divergence
Good solid arguments. You make a lot of sense.It gives some insight into Pericles stand on this issue if you remember that he prefers foreigners to locals. He has confessed as much in a number of posts.He wants to see the constant inflow of foreigners, bugger the cost.One can only surmise what motivates such a stand. Perhaps when he first arrived Australia and timidly ventured out on to Bondi beach, some bronzed Aussie dashing by kicked sand in his face and hes been out for vengeance ever since.