In recent weeks, we have witnessed a concerning shift in Australia's conversation about migration.

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The narrative that Australians are becoming "strangers in their own home" has gained traction in some political circles - perhaps unwittingly echoing rhetoric that history suggests warrants our collective caution and reflection.

Over recent decades, Australian leaders have understood the dangers of inflaming immigration anxieties, generally favouring measured discourse over divisive rhetoric.

Yet today, something darker emerges - a willingness to court forces our predecessors wisely kept contained.

We have an opportunity to step back from this precipice. Experience has repeatedly shown that when we unleash malignant sentiments about migration, we risk releasing impulses that quickly grow beyond our control.

Like genies freed from bottles, these impulses - once given oxygen and legitimacy - can prove extraordinarily difficult to contain.

Australia's immigration story is, by most measures, an extraordinary success. Our nation, built on successive waves of migration, has managed what many countries have struggled to achieve - creating a cohesive society from diverse origins.

This success was not achieved through divisive rhetoric or by stoking fears, but through policies that emphasised shared values while respecting diversity.

When political leaders and commentators cynically tap into feelings of displacement and disempowerment for political advantage, they risk damaging our hard-won social cohesion.

They may not intend to unleash destructive social forces, but the........

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