Banjo,

A little hint, don't quote web polls. They are so easily rigged its not funny. I should know, I've written a few polling systems in my time.

James Purser,
Thanks for the reminder. Journos are not the most honest people. Even I have experienced them tailoring a story to suit their, or their bosses whim and even, heavon forbid, make something up. Especially where there is no way someone else can check it.
Point taken

"Compatability and social cohesion is another aspect."

I cannot see how banning a particular ethnic or religious group will make society more cohesive. I can see how running out of water could create anarchy. I believe that morality is related to the standard of living that technology can provide for a population, not its ethnic makeup. Push a population beyond the technical means for a given living standard, and those values change.

That might be why in China it is less than a few months from arrest to execution for crimes that might get you six months in Australia (executed felons also provide a good source of organs for transplants). While some might see Australia as becoming soft on crime, the reality is population growth stresses creating a shortage of funds to keep felons imprisoned humanely (drug prohibition adds greatly to this cost also). As a result our humanity is degraded.

There is a good chance that John Howard will lose his seat to the
member of the ABC party, err well ALP, hmmmm.
It will be interesting to see where Maxine's loyalties really lie,
with the ABC or with the ALP.

Any one who thinks that Maxine is an ALP candidate does know not
what goes on.
What seat is the wx man standing in ?
I haven't seen him mentioned recently.

Fester said: "I doubt they will, Dresdener, though cutting the 457Visa rort might might improve things a bit."

I actually believe that a temporary guest worker program is preferable to long-term settlement. A decent temporary-worker scheme would give the Australian economy the flexibility to allow in workers as and when the economy needs them - if labour demand fell, foreign workers' contracts would simply not be renewed and the program could be cut back. As these workers would not be here permanently, most of the environmental, social and cultural concerns associated with high immigration would no longer be an issue.

As it stands, a great number of 457 visa holders are employed in regional and rural areas where the labour and skills shortages are most acute. In contrast, most of the long-term migrants are clustering into our capital cities where they are least needed. The Federal Government should be examining this anomaly, rather than importing more and more people every year without any real objective or justification.