who says Oz have a declining birthrate? The population Boom in WA is called the next boom...N other states are breeding like no tomorrow,,,Oz is the only OECD country where birthrate is above replacement level...
Think about it this way. Australia is just like any other country with a declining birth rate. It is in the global market to attract the most skilled or most affluent to contribute or invest in the country.
The thread title is a bit misleading..... What makes Australia different from, say Singapore, is that it has been tightening it's control of its migration policy since the last Labor government took over. Increasing requirements and introducing caps, while Singapore is opening the floodgates.
With it's huge land mass, abundant natural resources and declining birth rate, Australia will always need people to fill jobs. In my opinion, the golden period of migrating to Australia is over only for people who have low qualifications or skills. Conversely, if you are highly qualified, the golden period has only just begun in the last few years as you will still be in demand in the Australian job market and not be competing with people who depress wages due to their lower skill levels.
In the long run, it will only benefit Australia and those living here as skills and technology improve, the standards of living improve, less people will be on welfare, there can be greater expenditure on building the nation for future generations. Ask yourself this question, do you want to your children to grow up in a well planned democratic society or one with myopic vision that plugs holes as and only when they appear?