Piers Akerman seized on comments made by The Australian’s Paul Kelly on The Insiders this week about the “politics of grievance” caused by rising inflation, food and fuel prices.
Akerman said this this grievance will be enhanced by the Rudd Government’s decision to allow more unskilled migrants into the country, to help stem Australia’s labour shortage.
Of course he had to mention that most of these people won’t speak English and crapped on about assimilation and all the other things that give Australia’s rednecks an excuse to justify their bigotry.
Akerman, who wrote a blog about this a few days earlier, but failed to mention this on The Insiders, pretends that he has observed such issues becoming a concern in the community because he is too gutless say he is personally against unskilled migrants.
Of course he could criticise such views, but instead trawls the internet to find anyone who agrees with them, and of course him - preferably from the “the Left” side of politics.
Enter the far Left of the Union movement, which Ackerman says is proof that this is a growing grass roots issue even amongst Labor supporters.
Fortunately Sydney Morning Herald columnist David Maher was on hand to question Akerman’s motives and to remind him that the far left of the union movement has always opposed skilled and unskilled migration on the basis that it could cost Australians their jobs.
This is stupid policy.
The unions need to get into the 21st century and realise there is an acute labour shortage and that more workers are needed to keep productivity going and to stop companies using the lack of labour as an excuse to go off shore.
Instead of pandering to racism the union movement should see migrant workers as potential union members and treat them with respect and drop the whole Aussie macho bullshit that has always seen migrants marginalised throughout the workforce.
The union should also ensure that all migrant workers are paid award wages so their employment would be based on need, and not because they are cheaper to employ. New Zealand has done this so even guest workers from Pacific nations are paid the same as locals, which means they are there to bolster, not replace local workers.
Indeed this was also the case with the Snowy Mountains Hydro Scheme, which brought thousands of workers to Australia from more than 30 countries and is as famous for it’s success in kick starting multi-culturalism in Australia as it was an engineering milestone.
Of course there should be debate about the need to increase the migrant intake, but I fear the likes of Akermen will turn it into an exercise in racism, fear and loathing that detract from the real issues and play into the conservatives’ hands.
I will resign my union membership if so much as one union leader, from any union, plays ball with this fat fuck on this issue.
