The Howard Legacy
by Peter Wilkinson
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A book which should be read by all those who think about the future of Australia, but especially of concern to those with children/grandchildren with educational aspirations.
In 2005 in the Sydney Morning Herald Michael Duffy asked the rhetorical question: "Is it perhaps the first time in history that a nation's elite have invited another group to come in and replace it?"
Now Dr Peter Wilkinson has collected together both readily available and hitherto unpublished data to show that indeed traditional Australia is being displaced from the professional and managerial classes. This is the enduring legacy that Prime Minister John Howard's regime has bequeathed to the future of Australia. How has this come about?
It arises from a complex web of policies, largely bipartisan, particularly the selective immigration policies which favour applicants with an Australian university degree. Recent arrivals, i.e. the overseas born and non-English speaking background resident students, predominately Chinese, are now in a majority in some fields of education in the universities. They are concentrated in the lucrative and prestige careers. At the UNSW they are the majority overall.
The Chinese presence in Australia has been analysed: numbers, distribution, school and university enrolments, social attitudes and political influence. With near one-fifth in the electorates of the Prime Minister and the Shadow Minister for Immigration, they are influencing immigration policies. The conclusion is that on present policies Australia will have a Chinese minority dominating the economy. Does it matter? 180 pages softcover
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