Dick Smith A leading figure from the business world who has come out against open borders. He has called Government plans to increase the population by 13 million via immigration "ridiculous" and says the policy is opposed by 9 out of 10 Australians. He is working on a documentary on the issue. He loses points, though, for limiting his opposition to population increase to environmental grounds and for suggesting that women be limited to two children (the already low birth rate is one of the excuses used by the Government for large scale immigration).
Kelvin Thomson & Kevin Andrews A joint nomination for the only two MPs to have taken an independent line on immigration. Kevin Andrews is a Liberal Party MP who wants the immigration level taken down to a population replacement level of 35,000 per year. Kelvin Thomson is a Labor Party MP who has called for a return to the more modest immigration levels of the 1990s.
But I declare the winner to be ...
Kurt Fearnley It's hard not to admire this man's efforts. He does not have the use of his legs, but nonetheless completed the gruelling 90km Kokoda Trail dragging himself along on his hands. He did it to raise funds for two men's health groups.
Were there any obvious contenders I missed? Feel free to make your own nominations in the comments section. (They don't have to be from the field of politics.)
VC winner Mark Donaldson young Australian of the year. I was pretty happy with that.
ReplyDeleteHe loses points, though, for limiting his opposition to population increase to environmental grounds...
ReplyDeleteTo publicly oppose high immigration on cultural grounds is to invite accusations of "racism". Don't want your country swamped by millions of unassimilable non-Westerners? That makes you a racist.
Personally, I've never understood why questions of culture and ethnicity should be off limits when discussing immigration policy. Surely we are entitled to have some say over the future makeup of our nation?
After all, if Australia really is a democracy, then surely the Australian people should have the right to shape the future direction of their country and debate whether they want their nation radically transformed through massive immigration. If the Australian people really want their country changed from a European-majority nation into a multiracial, multicultural, polyglot society in which European Australians are a minority, then why not let them debate and approve that transformation through an informed political process?
As it stands, we having an immigration-fueled cultural and demographic revolution imposed upon our country by stealth and without popular consent.
Apparently it's now "insensitive" to other cultures to simply have a barbecue in your own backyard on Australia day. Instead we should be celebrating that January 26 is republic day in India.
ReplyDeleteIs it just me or has the commentariat entered a parallel universe?
"To publicly oppose high immigration on cultural grounds is to invite accusations of "racism". Don't want your country swamped by millions of unassimilable non-Westerners? That makes you a racist."
ReplyDeleteWas just chatting to an English friend who was saying how people are unhappy that their pension may be delayed when there are large numbers of immigrants collecting welfare and who appear to hate the UK. She still felt the need to clarify that she wasn't r8cist, but...
People are so well trained, they find it difficult to think certain heretical thoughts and if they express them they have to quickly add the "I'm not r8cist" caveat.
"People are so well trained, they find it difficult to think certain heretical thoughts and if they express them they have to quickly add the "I'm not r8cist" caveat."
ReplyDeleteI think I've got to the point where I say I'm racist. As in I'm racist but so what.
It may have been on this blog but as someone pointed out "Australian of Year" really lost it's way back in the 80's when they gave it to John Farnham, an honest and hard working entertainer but you don't put him in the league of "Weary" Dunlop. That said people like Mark Donaldson do belong in "Weary" Dunlop's league but it kind of devalues it when obvious "show ponies" are collecting the title as well.
ReplyDelete"but it kind of devalues it when obvious "show ponies" are collecting the title as well."
ReplyDeleteNobodies even heard of the current Australian of the year.
Dick Smith loses my vote; I have 6 kids. At least he makes sense on immigration.
ReplyDeleteI heard Dick Smith go hard on immigration today. Good job.
ReplyDelete