Migration has become an easy target for voter frustration, but the promised cuts are unlikely to deliver what politicians claim – and could create serious economic problems of their own.

For as long as I can remember, voters have disapproved of immigration, while governments of both colours have encouraged it.

To put it politely, all that’s changed is where most of the migrants come from. They used to come from Europe, now they come from Asia.

Sydney Morning Herald polling finds that two-thirds of Australians want our refugee intake (which is a lot smaller part of total immigration than the punters seem to imagine) slashed, more money spent on deportations and a ban on immigrants coming from countries where extremism is a danger.

One reason governments like immigration is that business is all in favour. If you’ll forgive a little cynicism, it’s not hard to see why. When you’re trying to increase your profits, the easiest way is to sell into a growing market. And when you need skilled labour, it’s a lot easier to sponsor a migrant with skills some other country has paid to provide them with rather than to fiddle about with your own apprenticeships, training schemes and such like.

All this is why, for many years, the two major parties had a tacit agreement to avoid talking about immigration in front of the children, so to speak.

But the resurrection of Pauline Hanson and her ratbag One Nation has changed all that, and now it’s on for young and old.

What’s eating the voters – and........

© Pearls and Irritations