Australia's new prime minister, Julia Gillard, has changed course on Australia's immigration policy.
In an about-turn from the man she took over from, Kevin Rudd, she has said she will alter her party's main policy stances with a lesser population growth.
On the weekend Ms Gillard told Fairfax News she would put the brakes on immigration in order to develop a more sustainable nation.
She said: "Australia should not hurtle down the track towards a big population. I don't support the idea of a big Australia with arbitrary targets of, say, a 40 million-strong Australia or a 36 million-strong Australia. We need to stop, take a breath and develop policies for a sustainable Australia. I support a population that our environment, our water, our soil, our roads and freeways, our buses, our trains and our services can sustain."
Ms Gillard said she would hold together an immigration policy that was pro-business and highly skilled, saying: "I don't want business to be held back because they couldn't find the right workers. That's why skilled migration is so important. But also I don't want areas of Australia with 25 per cent youth unemployment because there are no jobs."
The Australian government recently predicted the country's population would hit around 36 million by 2050, largely through immigration.
A recent poll showed 72 per cent of people supported a rise in Australia's population, but 69 per cent wanted it to remain below 30 million people.
Source:http://www.nepalnews.net/story/652314
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