Migrants wrongly blamed for rural Australia's social decline

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 3 Nov, 19:21 · Archive

Research shows migrants are scapegoated for fraying rural social cohesion driven by cost-of-living pressures and isolation.

A research essay from the Regional Australia Institute released on Wednesday found that migrants working in rural Australia as doctors, nurses, carers, scientists and farmers are wrongly blamed for fraying social cohesion. The declining trust in governments and institutions in regions runs much deeper than immigration, driven instead by cost-of-living pressures, housing affordability, isolation and poor access to healthcare.

Migrants become a visible target for broader concerns that are harder to identify, the institute's chief executive Liz Ritchie told AAP. Rural residents' sense of being "left behind" and decreased face-to-face contact were also linked to anti-government sentiment. Individual stressors such as financial hardship or poor health increase social isolation, reducing wellbeing and trust in institutions while making people more susceptible to misinformation.

Populist politics and social media consumption have stoked negative views on migration, the research states. "Unfortunately we've been having a race to the bottom in terms of the dialogue around migration," Ritchie said. Despite political moves to cap working visa holders, regional communities have emphasised migrants' essential value. Peak farming bodies told a Senate inquiry in May that overseas workers fill critical labour gaps, secure local jobs and enrich rural culture, as Tasmanian farmer Michele Lawrence noted.

How it is being reported

• 'Race to the bottom' on migration hurts rural AustraliaMigrants are wrongly blamed for fraying social cohesion in the bush, with cost-of-living, isolation and populist politics stoking anti-government views.Perth Now · 3 Nov, 19:03
• 'Race to the bottom' on migration hurts rural AustraliaMigrants are wrongly blamed for fraying social cohesion in the bush, with cost-of-living, isolation and populist politics stoking anti-government views.The West Australian · 3 Nov, 19:02

In this story: Regional Australia Institute · Liz Ritchie · Michele Lawrence · Tasmania · rural Australia

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