Sustainable Population Australia Media Release
18 January 2008
Julia Gillard is to be congratulated for ruling out the recruitment of overseas trained teachers to fill deficiencies in the training of Australian teachers, according to Sustainable Population Australia inc (SPA).
SPA National President, Dr John Coulter, says Australia has been behaving immorally for too long relying on other countries to provide teachers for Australian schools.
"These countries have been bearing the burden of education and training, only for us to poach their educated workers to fill our own skill gaps," says Dr Coulter.
"We have been particularly unethical when we have poached doctors and nurses from third-world countries much poorer than Australia."
Dr Coulter says that SPA also welcomes the Federal Government's move to encourage Australian nurses who have left nursing to come back to the profession through the payment of a bonus.
"This is preferable to seeking to recruit overseas trained nurses," he says.
Dr Coulter says another factor is that population growth is stressing so many aspects of life in Australia.
"Population growth is environmentally unsustainable," he says.
"It is another powerful reason why Australia should not be seeking short term and unsustainable 'solutions' to shortages in people with special skills or training but rather training our own citizens."
Dr Coulter also says forced population growth through increased baby bonuses and higher immigration is also driving a 'shortage' of people in certain categories to service this larger population.
"Take away the demand for services that is associated with population growth and many of these shortages will disappear," he says.
Further information: John Coulter 08 8388 2153 jrpfc|AT|bigpond.com
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