Like many migrants before them, I imagine many of the Syrian refugees will take the jobs that many of our own unemployed won't do.
Don't worry Rehctub, your beloved Libs will work it out.

Foxy Quote " 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."
I put it to you as a question, What do you think we should do with the ones that just do not want to integrate with the Australian way of life values etc?

Hold on, rehctub,

Lets just clarify a few things first.

Prior to the Abbott govt's advent, Australia made available 20,00 refugee places per annum. Upon taking govt, Abbott and Co cut the intake to 13,750 per annum. That's a cut of 6,250 per annum.

They have now stated after being dragged kicking and screaming that they will make available an additional 12,000 places - not as an ongoing arrangement, but as a one off - which merely reinstates the places that the govt cut over the two years since taking office,

Two years ago, (before the govt had run up debt by an additional $115 billion dollars while simultaneously cutting refugee intake - and cutting overseas aid by $11 billion) were we desperately finding it hard to exist? Were we being asked to "give things up"?

Also this:
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/04/refugees-are-australias-most-entrepreneurial-migrants-says-research?CMP=share_btn_tw

"Refugees are not taking Australian jobs, they are creating new ones, according to new government research that reveals humanitarian arrivals are the country’s most entrepreneurial migrants."

People from the UK and India – most of whom arrived on skilled or family visas – contributed the largest share of the $38bn earned by migrants in Australia in 2009-10, data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, released on Friday, reveals.

But it was migrants who arrived as refugees who reported the highest proportion of their incomes that year “from their own unincorporated businesses”.

This income grew with the length of time they spent in Australia, and “increased sharply” after five years of residency.

The report built on earlier research showing humanitarian migrants tended to work several jobs in their first few years in Australia to build capital to start their own businesses, the ABS said.

Nearly 10% of humanitarian migrants’ incomes in 2009-10 were generated by their own businesses, almost twice the figure recorded in other categories, such as skilled and family migrants.

This income was overwhelmingly made by men, most aged between 25 and 44. Afghans earned the largest share of the profits generated by humanitarian migrant businesses."

Obviously my typo above reading "20,00" on the third line was meant to read 20,000.

While there are some obvious barriers to integration (perceptions of a uniformly extremist Islam among them [though, of course, Syria was once one of the more progressive and liberal Muslim-majority states, and the groups trying to tighten the reins are arguably those pushing refugees out of the country]), the notion that Syrian refugees must simply abandon their own way of life and adopt our own denies the existence of opportunities for mutual learning here.

One example could be family structure. While our media predicts financial mayhem due to our aging population and the pending retirement of the Baby Boomers, Syrian families (among other non-Western societies) apparently take the burden of caring for their elders (including, I assume, financial burden) upon themselves. The three-generation family is, from much of the reading that I've done, the norm. There are obvious benefits (including financial benefits) there and, if 12,000 Syrian refugees brought this practice with them to Australia, would it be such a terrible thing if, in 50 years time, it was more common in Australia? Opening our doors to migrants (including refugees) before has broadened our cuisine, heightened our awareness of the world across the seas and somehow, we've survived the negatives.

As long as we aren't FORCED to live like our new neighbours, I'm happy to see how they live and have them live among us.

I do agree, though, that the expectation should be that they abide by our laws, and that murderers and rapists and the like should be deported. Minor criminals, assuming that we have programs in place to help them to understand our laws, should also be sent packing if they continue to disobey those laws anyway.