Federal Greens leader Bob Brown has called for Australia's intake of skilled and business migrants to be cut as part of the Greens proposed overhaul of the nation's immigration program.
Federal Greens leader Bob Brown has called for Australia's intake of skilled and business migrants to be cut as part of the Greens proposed overhaul of the nation's immigration program.
He also advocated an increase in "humanitarian" immigration, offset by a crackdown on the 50,000 visitors who are estimated to illegally overstay their visas each year.
In Perth for the WA launch of the Green's federal election campaign, Mr Brown said Australia should be exporting skills to the developing world, and that it was the responsibility of business to train Australians for the skills it requires.
Mr Brown's call comes as both the Labor and Liberal parties examine options to boost skilled immigration amid mounting evidence that a desperate shortage of skilled workers is imminent in Australia as the resources boom hits full swing.
"Let's Australia be a skills maker," he told reporters. "The big corporations have been found out, they are not pulling their weight.
"We need to have big investment in education and skilling in Australia, we should be exporting skills to the rest of the world.
"Why have the big parties lost the plot on skilling Australians and people in our neighbourhood? Why should we be importing skilled people from much poorer countries than our own to become ... the skilled workbase for Australia?
"We've got a fantastic young population in Australia. They're raring to go and be part of the future of the economy, but they are being let down by big business, which is self invested, which is ... not investing in the future, and lacklustre governments which are allowing them to do it."
Mr Brown said a review of Australia's immigration program was vital to achieve sustainable population levels, hence the Green's call for a senate inquiry to determine Australia's "carrying capacity" in light of the added pressure rapid population growth would put on Australia's already squeezed resources.
"Let's wind back overall immigration, while increasing humanitarian immigration," he said. "Let's review business immigration, which means if you've got a quarter of a million dollars in your pocket you can buy your way in to this country.
"Let's concentrate a little more on the 50,000 overstayers who have flown into this country, rather than the four or five thousand people who are really in desperate circumstances, and are genuine refugees coming by boat."
Mr Brown said Australia should also increase its overseas aid budget to help increase living standards in the region.
"Because that drops population," he said
Similarly, exporting skills to developing nations was another important measure Australia should take to help curb runaway global population growth which was one of the major challenges facing the planet, he said.
"When you skill populations, population growth falls," Mr Brown said.
Mr Brown said the Greens would also be pushing for a big increase in the area devoted to marine parks off the WA coast, notably in the Kimberley, Pilbara and South West.
He also pushed the Green's proposal to jump-start efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions by imposing a carbon levy, set at $23 per tonne, on the nation's biggest polluters.
Funds generated by the scheme would enable the Greens to establish a $5 billion fund to "retrofit" Australian households to make them more energy efficient, including the installation of solar panels.
Together with a greater focus on energy savings, including turning off unnecessary electrical items and lights, such measures could cut Australia's carbon emissions by 20 per cent by 2020, he said.
Mr Brown will later this morning formally announce Glenice Smith as the party's candidate for the federal seat of Hasluck.
Ms Smith's pre-selection means the sitting Labor member for Hasluck, Sharryn Jackson, will be up against at least two indigenous challengers following the Liberal Party's endorsement of Aboriginal health bureaucrat Ken Wyatt.
Ms Jackson holds the seat by a margin of just 1 per cent.
