During this period Bligh (essentially the Government of New South Wales) was in conflict with a major "businessman" at the time John Macarthur.It seems that John was really representing his own interests and there were quite a many of the population at the time who felt that he did not represent their interests. Accordingly there was a petition to the government of the New South Wales colony.
Complaints included that Mr Macarthur was withholding sheep to drive up prices of mutton; essentially misusing his position to his own profit.
Today we have another problem, with striking similarity to this past issue. The people of Australia are so overwhelmingly against the immigration / refugee shopping situation that both the government and the opposition are posturing to take advantage of this voting group.
We are increasingly a target for assylum shoppers that news media can regularly describe how rief the people smuggling is in our neighboring nations that they can even quote the regular spotters fees.
The people-smuggling trade through Jakarta has become such big business that spotter's fees of up to $540 a person are being offered for getting asylum-seekers on to boats headed for Australia.Mean time the Business Council is horrified that the government reaction to our democratic wishes may have some disturbance in their drive down of labor prices.
And with a range of smuggling networks operating to ferry asylum-seekers through the archipelago after they have fled Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, the "brokers" offering their services are thick on the ground. The flow of refugees making the perilous crossing to Christmas Island from points on Java's southern coastline is also being accelerated by the fact successful arrivals are immediately telephoning friends and relatives remaining in Jakarta and nearby, urging that they follow "while the gates are still open", one asylum-seeker told The Australian.
THE Coalition's plan to cut immigration numbers has thrown it on to a collision course with major business groups, which say they will fight the policy over fears it could threaten Australia's productivity.
Despite unemployment numbers still requiring fiddling (such as "you're not unemployed, you're on a course") and the difficulty of anyone over the age of 50 even with skills in getting a job.
According to one "talking head"
"We would be disappointed if they cut immigration to levels below the average of the last 40 years . . . We would face skills shortages, it would put pressure on the rest of the population and lead to higher taxes."
Skills shortage? ... as some other commenter on my previous article on denying the skills shortage exists; the only shortage is of labour willing to work at the price they are willing to pay. Even then I doubt it, because looking at the numbers of skilled unemployed looking for work I'm sure they'd work for less.
Mr Bradley said the BCA had consistently advocated strong planned population growth including immigration. "You've only got to go to states like Western Australia to see the desperate need for additional skills in our economy to take full advantage of our natural resources and the development that we can build on the back of that," Mr Bradley said.
Oh, so Western Australia is suffering from a skills shortage. With something like 5% unemployment it sounds hard to believe.
Sounds to me like another instance of Colonial Business practices.
When are the Australian people going to put their feet down on this sort of stuff and realise that when Business shoves Government around, that its bullying them too.
Now the last thing I want in Australia is some sort of soviet like social state; but shouldn't we at least try to put Australians in jobs before we start pulling in "educated" people from nations which don't even share our view of right and wrong; who don't even want to adapt to Australia.
Business today is perhaps even more soulless than people like Macarthur ... they are companies, so they don't even have a mother to sell.
PostScriptum
I read today that the gutless wonders of the opposition have backed away from the representation of the people with the above growl from the BCA
Opposition immigration spokesman Scott Morrison says his comments about cutting the country's migrant intake to curb population growth do not reflect official Coalition policy.looks like they already know that the BCA really calls the shots.
So, is it that the ALP follows tune of Unions and the Liberal / National Coalition follow the BCA?
Sounds like a scene from the movie Kangaroo
