Hanson’s stance on immigration goes against the flow

As a Chinese-Malaysian migrant who arrived in Australia as a child, I found Pauline Hanson’s calls at the National Press Club on Wednesday to limit immigration and her assertion that Australia cannot be a multicultural society deeply troubling (“‘We cannot be a multicultural society’, Hanson says”, June 17). They hark back to the divisive thinking of the White Australia era. Recently, I was called into hospital at 3am to care for a 97-year-old woman whose arm was badly broken, blue and swollen. After 35 years in emergency medicine, helping restore function and dignity to vulnerable patients remains one of the greatest privileges of my professional life. Yet, I increasingly wonder how people like me are viewed when migrants are portrayed as a burden on the country. Australia faces genuine challenges. Housing is strained, the cost of living is high and many people are anxious about the future. But blaming migrants offers neither solutions nor hope. New arrivals help staff our hospitals, build our economy and enrich our communities. Australia’s future will not be secured through fear of difference, but through the openness, tolerance and multicultural success that have served us so well. Joseph Ting, Brisbane (Qld)

At my age, I believe I’ve seen or studied most governments of most kinds. I have to admit, Pauline Hanson spoke better than I had expected at the National Press Club on Wednesday. But then she blew it in the final minute with her announcement that she would (if elected) destroy the SBS and the ABC in all but rural areas, along with (for good measure) The Guardian. At that point, she lost me forever. Donald Matthews, Fennell Bay

We all know Pauline Hanson wants to cut immigration numbers, however, Australia’s current birth rate of 1.48 children per woman is far short of the 2.1 needed to sustain our current population (“What having kids really costs”, June 14). Meanwhile, it’s projected by the ABS that older people in Australia will make up between 21 and 23 per cent of the total population by 2066. So, in view of our increasing need of construction workers pegged at 90,000 builders, carpenters, bricklayers and electricians (BuildSkills Australia estimate), where are they going to come from? The same question can be asked of the hospitality sector’s needs. Larry Woldenberg, Forest Lodge

I am not one of those who are obsessed with the dangers of Pauline Hanson (Letters, June 17), nor do I like the budget presented to us recently. I’m just a voter looking for a candidate and party that is not extreme right or left, in line with most Australians I