Tony Abbott and Migration Alliance prepare for the Asian Century

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Created on Friday, 06 September 2013 11:26

Written by Editorial staff

Tony Abbott recently told the Sydney Morning Herald that he plans to make Asia his top priority if he is elected as the next prime minister.

This is probably a good strategy, given that we are currently at the beginning of what has been labelled the "Asian Century".

According to the 'Australia in the Asian Century White Paper', which was recently released by the federal government, the rise of Asia is the "defining feature of the 21st century".

This region has already made its mark on the Australian economy in a number of ways.

Asia is not only one of our biggest trading partners, but also a prime supplier of skilled migrant workers and people who travel here on immigration visas.

We also have political, cultural and financial ties with the region.

The White Paper names China, Japan, India, Indonesia and South Korea as countries with which Australia already has a "strong and robust" relationship.

In an exclusive interview with the Sydney Morning Herald, Tony Abbott revealed that all of these countries were on his to-visit list.

He announced that he would travel to Asia before he would consider going anywhere else, to strengthen our country's ever-growing bonds with these key areas.

Gulf News stated that Indonesia was at the top of Mr Abbott's list, as this is where the majority of Australia's asylum-seeking boats originate from.

These boats have been a matter of much debate among political leaders, with many - migration agents in Australia included - believing the current Papua New Guinea (PNG) strategy is ineffective.

While he is obviously making Asia his priority, reports The Mercury, Mr Abbott does not plan to neglect Australia's other international contacts, such as Washington and London.

"We can have an excellent relationship with Jakarta, Beijing, Tokyo and Seoul at the same time as having an excellent relationship with Washington and London and the rest of the European capitals.

"That's exactly what Tony Abbott will do," said Christopher Pyne, member of the Liberal Party, in a Mercury article published on September 4.

The White Paper concludes that "success in the Asian century requires a whole-of-Australia effort".

It goes on to say that businesses of all shapes and sizes, as well as unions and communities need to work together to ensure we don't miss out on the many opportunities the rise of Asia presents.

Migration Alliance couldn't agree more. In fact, we're just about to launch Indonesian and Chinese versions of our website!