Podcast: Australia’s True Colours – On the Borderline

Contemporary Australia is the product of multiple waves of immigration, but now anti-immigration sentiment is on the rise.

Today, almost half of Australians have a parent born overseas and more than a quarter of the population were born overseas themselves.

In a recent speech, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said every Australian benefited from the diversity that is at the heart of the nation.

But a look back at Australia’s history shows that our immigration policy has not always been so welcoming.

Policies of multiculturalism are mixed up with those giving clear, preferential treatment to some nations over others.

Now a new wave of Islamophobia is rising, with anti-immigration political parties like One Nation Party, once confined to the margins, garnering support.

In the second episode in a three-part series, Australia’s True Colours, Not for Podcast investigates how racist ideology can infiltrate the immigration debate, right through to our policies.

Featured in this episode:

• Khanh Hoang, associate professor at the ANU Migration Law Program
• Andrew Jakubowicz, professor of sociology at the University of Technology Sydney.
• Brian Burston, One Nation Senator  
• Shayne Neumann MP, shadow minister for immigration