Australian immigration and asylum Tony Abbott repeats claim immigration cut will improve quality of life Former PM links ‘rate of immigration’ to ‘stagnant wages, unaffordable housing, clogged infrastructure’ In a speech in Sydney on Tuesday, the former prime minister Tony Abbott picked up on themes from his ‘conservative manifesto’. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAPTony Abbott has seized on Peter Dutton’s claim that Australia needs to cut its migration intake and signalled he will renew his push to do so by linking migrant numbers to quality of living issues. On Monday the former prime minister said he would make the case for cutting migration to improve “stagnant wages, unaffordable housing and clogged infrastructure” in a speech in Sydney on Tuesday. The net overseas migration figures were 114,000 a year between 1996 and 2006, and 220,000 a year from 2007 to 2015. Of the OECD’s 28 studies on immigration and wages, 13 reported no effect, seven a small positive effect, and eight a small negative effect, he said.

Source: The Guardian February 19, 2018 03:56 UTC