Fairfax Media, said former Prime Minister John Howard had been "a tricky chap" on immigration, by appearing "tough" on illegal immigration to win support from the working class, while simultaneously winning support from employers with high legal immigration. In 2006, the Labor Party under Kim Beazley took a stance against the importation of increasingly large numbers of temporary skilled migrant workers by employers, arguing that this is simply a way for employers to drive down wages. In 2019, a Lowy Institute poll found that 49% of Australians say that ‘the total number of migrants coming to Australia each year is too high’, while a minority said it is ‘too low’ (13%), representing a 10-point rise in opposition to immigration since 2014. Furthermore, 67% say that 'overall, immigration has a positive impact on the economy’, while 65% say that ‘immigrants strengthen the country because of their hard work and talents’, and 62% believe that ‘accepting immigrants from many different countries makes Australia stronger’. Senator Pauline Hanson has called for a national plebiscite asking voters if they think immigration is too high. The Australian Senate voted the proposal down 54 votes to 2. See also Asylum in Australia Demography of Australia Department of Immigration and Border Protection Europeans in Oceania Immigrant benefits urban legend, a hoax regarding benefits comparison Immigrant health in Australia Mental health and immigration detention Multiculturalism in Australia Post war immigration to Australia Visa policy of Australia Notes References Citations Sources Commonwealth of Australia. Migration Act 1958 Further reading Betts, Katharine. Ideology and Immigration: Australia 1976 to 1987 (1997) Burnley, I.H. The Impact of Immigration in Australia: A Demographic Approach (2001) Foster, William, et al. Immigration and Australia: Myths and Realities (1998) Jupp, James. From White Australia to Woomera: The Story of Australian Immigration (2007) Excerpt and text search Jupp, James. The English in Australia (2004) Excerpt and text search Jupp, James. The Australian People: An Encyclopedia of the Nation, its People and their Origins (2002) Excerpt about Sydney Markus, Andrew, James Jupp and Peter McDonald, eds. Australia's Immigration Revolution (2010) Excerpt and text search O'Farrell, Patrick. The Irish in Australia: 1798 to the Present Day (3rd ed. Cork University Press, 2001) Wells, Andrew, and Martinez, Theresa (ed.) Australia's Diverse Peoples: A Reference Sourcebook (ABC-CLIO, 2004) Migration history (Melbourne) Origins: Immigrant Communities in Victoria – Immigration Museum, Victoria, Australia NSW Migration Heritage Centre, Australia (archived) (South Australia) State immigration