It's interesting that our top universities with the possible exception of Monash politely refrain from criticising high immigration. Perhaps they don't want to look a gift horse in the mouth. One angle they could explore is whether the success of one industry namely higher education comes at the expense of economic wellbeing generally.

An idea I have is that overseas student education is a one-two punch. Mum and dad back home pay for the child to do a diploma of aromatherapy or whatever. The child works in fast food for a couple of years then brings out the cashed up parents who pay top dollar for a house. As to ANU specifically I have a friend in the ACT rural fringe who has just learned that parts of NSW are to be annexed. They are moving out so Canberra's fat belly can keep growing.

Those were the days my friend, we thought they'd never end. We'd live the life we'd choose forever and a day, Yes, those were the days. La, la, la, la, la, la, la.

Now-a-days just a business organisation that indoctrinates young impressionable kids with, turn the clock back 300 plus years, Green's insane socialist agendas.

What ever happened to logic's rites and critical thinking/research and time when our best ideas were among world leading.

Sadly, all sold off to overseas interests along with our best thinkers for, in too many cases, bargain basement, fire sale prices.

Why? Because of nonsense ideological mantras like, the government has no business in business. At complete odds with the standout Irish economic miracle, sadly cruelled by debt laden foreign. real estate investors, gate crashing and killing it almost dead.

We need a return to a private and public duopoly that does not invest in the other's operations but competes with the other for the survival of the fittest and world's best practise.

Gone, because of stupid mistakes by witless pollies that sold their souls/"integrity", for pennies!

We need to start making stuff here again and refloating a national shipping line/our own totally owned national airline. And put a complete embargo on foreign real estate investors!

All very doable if we get the basics right, i.e., fair dinkum root and branch tax reform as a flat tax of 15% and the transition to MSR thorium/nuclear waste burners, and with that the lowest PKWH prices in the world!

All leading to a veritable relocation stampede to these shores, by energy dependant, high tech manufacture. And with it, the rebirth of our motor vehicle industry as hybrid and all electric transportation!

We don't and never did need a big Australia, just a very smart and nimble Australia! To get that or any of the above, we need a complete cleanout in Canberra.

Pull up the economic anchors and set full sail replete with spinnaker.

Don't just do something, stand there.
Alan B.

"National unity and identity".

They are failing on unity (Australia has never been more divided), but they are good on identity - identity politics, that is.

I quite like the founder of the Fenner School and its comprehensive Human Ecology course. The study of human ecology necessarily includes almost every aspect of human activity and how in one way or another these activities are all inter-related.

http://fennerschool.anu.edu.au/about/our-history
http://programsandcourses.anu.edu.au/course/envs6020

One notable graduate of the Human Ecology course is Charles Massy the author of the remarkable book Call of the Reed Warbler A New Agriculture A New Earth. In the course of writing the book Charles engaged the assistance of numerous scientists and academics. He also interviewed at least 200 people.The bibliography contains over 500 references.

I agree with Taswegian. Wealthy Chinese people are infiltrating our suburbs, at least in Melbourne. Their houses/units that are vacant for much of the year are common. I don't mind them but they do not easily fit into Australia's society.

I suspect that the great scientist Frank Fenner would be turning in his grave over much of the 'popular science' that emanates from the Fenner School of Environmental Science at ANU.

We don't have 'high immigration', but higher border movements due to international education, travel and mobility of temporary residents.

They have been caught under the nebulous UNPD defined NOM net overseas migration formula, expanded in 2006 to 12/16+ month residency test vs. permanent migration cap of around 200k (many onshore already).

Linguistic coincidence (not?) occurred when 'Australia's best demographer' started misdescribing students and other temporary residents as 'immigrants', after the NOM definition was expanded and missed by all..... including media et al.

In fact Australia's 'best demographer' was the late Jack Caldwell who was internationally renowned and former colleague with ANU's Peter McDonald; neither were they linked to the US 'Tanton Network', like Farage and Bannon.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Caldwell_(demographer)