Guest worker scheme 'risks relations'

August 09, 2008

THE push to allow Pacific Island guest workers entry to Australia under a trial program risks antagonising Indonesia and The Philippines.

Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Andrew Robb said ... it could harm relations with Australia's southeast Asian neighbours... unemployment was rife in Australia's southeast Asian neighbours.

"Just what will Indonesia's attitude be if this leads to only other countries being able to send their young people, and not Indonesia, and not The Philippines, and not Malaysia?" he said.

"As a country, we have run a non-discriminatory immigration program for decades. Now if this one is going to just take people from certain countries, that's a fundamental change."

Gee, we're worried about relations with our neighbours, but not worried about relations between traditional white Australians and the increasingly diverse hoards of immigrants colonising our country.