http://www.populatio...tion_policy.pdf
That the Federal Government:
include a Minister for Population and Environment in Federal Cabinet, rather than a Minister for Immigration, recognising that immigration is but a sub-set of the broader issue of population;
implement an integrated population policy that is based on environmental sustainability and encompasses immigrant intake, natural increase, biodiversity protection, aspirations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, tourism, foreign aid, internal migration, and education;
in developing this population policy, examine the consequences of different levels of projected populations and resource consumption on quality of life including affordable housing, clean air and water, and access to recreational areas such as beaches;
ratifiy the Program of Action arising out of the UN International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) held in Cairo in 1994;
establish and fund an Institute for Sustainability Research that will address all environmental, social and economic aspects of population;
end the use of the migration program as a mechanism to increase Australia’s population. [Ultimately, our immigration program should be no larger than emigration. A reduced immigration program should maintain the humanitarian stream as well as the spouse and the aged parent categories. When migrants are accepted for non-humanitarian reasons, most of the costs of resettlement should be born by the migrants themselves];
give higher priority to the Humanitarian Program within this overall reduced migration program, focussing on those who cannot be supported by direct aid in their own countries or in countries of refuge, and on environmental refugees, such as those from South Pacific most at risk of inundation from global warming;
ensure that, within the Skills stream, Australia imports only those with expertise not available in Australia, and does not "poach" skilled workers from developing countries that cannot afford to lose their educated citizens;
tighten visa requirements substantially, particularly in the area of information and communication technology;
adopt an integrated population, training and labour market strategy;
ensure that Australia's educational and training institutions provide all the skills needed for the functioning of the economy and for the welfare of its citizens to minimise the need to import skilled workers;
adopt social and taxation policies e.g. maternity allowances, that allow couples to provide adequately for their children but at the same time discourage them from having more than two children;
through taxation and housing policies, ameliorate the present situation where land speculators reap excessive profits from population growth;
increase Australia's overseas development assistance (ODA) to the 0.7 per cent of GDP, or more;
ensure that the family planning component within ODA is at least 4 per cent, and that greater priority is given to other measures that reduce the birth rate, particularly primary health care and the education of women;
while recognising the right of asylum seekers to enter our territory under the 1951 Refugee Convention and other international agreements, maintain measures to deter those who do not qualify as refugees under international law or measures to discourage the pre-emption of official channels for gaining refugee status;
support humane and expeditious processing of asylum seekers’ claims according to international human rights laws and agreements;
take steps to reduce our national economic dependence on tourism, recognising its vulnerability to rises in the world price of oil and the pollution caused by air and road travel;
adopt a consumption strategy that will encourage lower levels of resource and energy use while retaining a reasonable standard of living;
provide incentives for energy efficiency to reduce Australia's total greenhouse gas emissions and thus its ecological footprint;
legislate to remove the stimulus to domestic consumption by removing tax deductibility on commercial advertising;
ensure that sex education programs in Australia are adequately funded and that a wide variety of contraceptive measures are available and affordable to all who need them;
end pro-natalist policies including such initiatives as the baby bonus;
promote the education of children about ecological 27. ensure that the Precautionary Principle is applied with footprints and sustainability in general; respect to Australia’s population growth;
count New Zealanders in the official migration program, 28. reverse its decision to allow employers to recruit overseas or, where migration is positive in the direction of Australia apprentices and instead actively facilitates sufficient under the Trans-Tasman Agreement, an equivalent number is apprenticeships within Australia to adequately supply the deducted from the non-humanitarian migration program; needs of employers;
ensure that Australia's population growth meets ESD 29. prosecute and penalise employers who knowingly or principles as per the National Strategy for Ecologically negligently employ illegal immigrants. Sustainable Development (NSESD) thereby protecting ecological processes and maintaining intragenerational and intergenerational equity;
PDF with preamble included.
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