With the recent threads on the refugee intake, it's quite obvious there are more supporters than opposers on this site.

So, taking this in mind and, considering it's a fair assumption to suggest most here are not high income earners, I want you to consider this.

Fewer than 30% of tax payers actually pay more in taxes than they draw in welfare, and many of these are actually large corporations.

Hypothetically speaking, assuming the majority here are being supported and, you want to allow these additionals in, what would you be prepared to give up to allow this to happen.

For the purpose of the thread, I would like people to respond on the basis of 'IF I were NOT a high income earner' I would be prepared to give up ?

By doing this we are not providing personal information.

My vote is nothing, as we simply can't afford them and, if we are going to increase our debt, it should be by way of investing in infrastructure for the betterment of society.

with the masses of public servants complaining about a $7 doctor fee I doubt whether many are willing to give up anything.

rehctub, I doubt many of those getting more in government support than they pay in tax will cope with the idea of giving something up. The obvious solution will be to hit middle income earners harder.

Lots of things I'd give up (mostly because I don't get them).

My main focus interest in taking in refugees is that it not be a set for life ticket.

That we should retain the right to deport any who come here and either commit any serious crimes or a pattern of flouting lesser laws.

That we perhaps spend a little more and ensure programs are in place to give refugees every opportunity to integrate and become productive members of our society and send any who won't work towards that target on their way. I'd like to see us make it easier (and cheaper) for those with foreign qualifications not recognised here to retrain (subsidised bridging courses etc) or have their skills and knowledge assessed and if up to a suitable standard qualified to use those skills and qualifications here.

R0bert

Dear RObert,

Very well said.

Australia has become and is changing even more to a
vastly different place from the British Isles in which
our institutions originated, just as Britain is having
to adapt to its changing population, so our institutions
are now required to respond to the needs of a
culturally and linguistically diverse society.

It is in the interests of all Australians that the three
tiers of government - Commonwealth, State, and local -
intervene where necessary to manage our diversity in the
interests of cultural tolerance, social justice, and
economic efficiency and for that we need to plan with
appropriate programs and policies.

Overseas experience has shown the often tragic consequences
that occur when societies are unable or unwilling to
integrate newcomers, especially in situations in which some
minority groups find themselves restricted by barriers of
prejudice or culture from enjoying the same opportunities as
the host society.

Our own recent history has revealed instances in which lack
of foresight has resulted in unfairness and unnecessary
inefficiency, the prodigious wastage of overseas skills being
perhaps the most telling examples.

I've stated earlier on this forum that this doesn't mean we
should dismantle or repudiate our institutions in order to
start afresh. Instead we should make our institutional
heritage work better for us by enhancing its capacity to
respond flexibly to the needs of an ethnically mixed
population. What we need is a positive policy response.
Inaction can only exacerbate the problem.

The government should seek social cohesion - not social
engineering.

I would willingly pay extra taxes to help support these
programs. A cohesive society would be worth it.

I agree with RObert and Foxy in that the refugees remain law-abiding and working towards a job (any job) to pay their own way as soon as possible.

Rehctub is just being typically hysterical over the whole refugee crisis in thinking only about himself, and what he wants to keep all to himself.

I would suggest that the Governments, both state and federal, could help pay to settle the refugees in Australia by axing some of the non-essential expenses like the chaplaincy program in public schools, take the tax-free perks off mad religious cults like Scientology, or the 'perks' that politicians or ex-PM's get paid above and beyond their salaries, and increase taxes on the high income earners.
That would scrape up millions for the refugees....

Sorry Foxy, but we are not the ones who refuse to integrate and it's not just Australia that suffers from this problem.

Suze, so where do you think the Jobs will come from? I can't see where so perhaps you can and do remember, just having a wish list of sorts doesn't make it happen.