Australian Politics and Policy - Senior, 2019a

Immigration and multicultural policy
Trade unions
The business sector’s favourable stance towards high levels of immigration might
be expected to be counterbalanced by scepticism from a trade union movement
presumably focused on job protection for the current workforce. Australian trade
unions have indeed been vocal critics of high levels of temporary immigration for
its association with ‘exploitation and denying job opportunities to local workers’. 34
However, the trade union movement has generally been supportive of Australia’s
permanent immigration program. This was historically important in relation
to Australia’s radical shift to mass immigration from the late 1940s. 35 More recently,
the ACTU and the union United Voice have joined the Australian Industry Group
business lobby in a statement declaring that ‘Australia’s permanent migration
program is essential to Australian society and economy’ and that ‘we … do not
supportanyreductiontothescheme’. 36
Ethnic communities
Australia’s immigration program has fostered the creation of ethnic-minority
communities of first-generation members and descendants. These communities
naturally have an interest in immigration policy, especially as it applies to rights of
admission for other family members, and a particular stake in multicultural policy.
They do not necessarily harbour a different range of views on other immigrationrelated
issues; for example, according to Jupp and Pietsch, ‘[s]ome polling suggests
that many “ethnic” Australians were just as unsympathetic as the “Anglo” majority
to asylum seekers who were perceived to be jumping the gun, especially when that
affected family reunion for their own group’. 37
Seventy years of large-scale immigration have not changed the basic structure
of the Australian political system, particularly its domination by the two major
party blocs (the Liberal–National Coalition and Labor). However, the political
process, and especially the parties, have adjusted to the changed nature of the
electorate. Parties now actively court ethnic-minority communities.
Sometimes the policy preferences arising from ethnic-minority communities
are articulated through ethnic community organisations, co-ordinated nationally
through the Federation of Ethnic Communities Councils of Australia (FECCA).
FECCA and its allies were claimed to have had a significant influence over the
Hawke Labor government in securing a high proportion of immigration places
for family-connection applicants. 38 If that outcome is a test of the influence of the
‘ethnic lobby’, then its influence seems to have since waned.
34 McManus 2018.
35 Warhurst 1993.
36 Migration Council of Australia 2018.
37 Jupp and Pietsch 2018, 665.
38 Betts 1991; Birrell and Betts 1988.
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