Clare O'Neil review greenlights huge migration - gaslights huge reform

Last year, Home Affairs Minister O'Neil went all Yes Minister. Never start an inquiry, unless you know what its findings will be.

Rolling out Aussie fibs, her "systemic" inquiry assumed mass migration is all upside. Heading her show, Martin Parkinson, ex Treasury chief. He'd consult with powerful "stakeholders". They're also big fans of mass migration.

At the time, the Treasury number was 235,000 net migration for 2022-23. Already a big ask. Same number, in January 2023 Population Statement.

Days later, Treasurer Chalmers conceded, 300,000 was the go. Weeks later, he intimated 350,000. Whoopsie, now it's 400,000. Thrashing that eye-watering Kevin Rudd record.

Where are voters in this Olympic slalom? Yeah nah, there to be lied to. Gaslit by ABC and ABS.

Voters don't totally buy, the Treasury line. They seemed to like, the COVID migration lull.

The Australian Population Research Institute (TAPRI) survey of July 2021 found only 19% of voters wanting the reboot to "Big Australia" immigration of 240,000 plus. 48% wanted net migration "much lower" or even zero. Overall, 69% didn't see Australia needing more people.

TAPRI survey of late 2022 produced similar results. Other polls, taken during or since COVID, don't usually find voters craving mass migration. Some polls aren't that rigorous.

No problem for Parkinson. Not the first, to cherry-pick from the Scanlon social cohesion (aka immigration) lobby. Commission your own poll, I'd say, rather than activate Scanlon.

Hence, the most important thing about this review report is what it ignores. Albanese Labor's all-time immigration ambush. This "master" plan has already got economic growth floundering to keep up with population growth.

Echoing the recent Productivity Commission report, Parkinson tells Treasury tales: Our world-envied immigration program keeps us youthful while delivering on scarce skills.

More likely, delivering fat salaries, for Treasury mandarins. Whose barely substantiated net-migration targets induce raw population growth for raw GDP growth.