Sustainable Population

       Australia is in a bit of a tizzy.  Her population could soar to 36 million people by 2050 if the population trends continue as they are. Doesn't sound like much for for so huge a piece a land- until you take a look at its topography. It's like a Raisinette, perfectly fine at its exterior edges and all dried up in its massive center.  The lack of water and arable land is not conducive to the building or support of  large population centers. Housing is already in short supply (read: expensive and too dense) , power is expensive and fresh water a bit too scarce.
       So, the phrase "sustainable population" gets batted about a bit. Infrastructure studies are commissioned, alternative energy sources are sought, immigration policy is re-examined and the Federal government changes its practices with a lightning quick speed I would not have believed if I had not seen it with my own eyes.
       But let us back up a bit in history so you have a better idea of what was and what will be.   Before WWII,  Australia employed language and other suitability tests to keep out undesired ethnicities from Asia and points beyond.  The Second World War exposed their vulnerability: they did not have enough people within the nation to protect it,  so many restrictions were lifted. Eventually, inducements of fast visas were made to people willing to fill workforce holes...over 100 professions including hairdressers and chefs. This had an unfortunate consequence of creating an easy side door  for immigration hopefuls and those willing to exploit it.  Training "schools" were founded to 'educate' the hordes of people from India and elsewhere in these desired disciplines. Too many must be just paper mills for visas as there is still said to be a shortage of hairdressers and culinary experts.  There are lots of experienced British police officers on the beat here, but some industries, like mining, are desperate for the much higher skilled engineers of which there are too few.
       Moreover, illegal immigration has picked up the pace.  There is an island off WA's northwest corner, Christmas Island, which has a detention facility for such people.  Viewed as a boondoggle of the previous Federal administration and near empty before I got here, it now has a steady stream of  boats filled with people (mostly Sri Lankans and Afghanis) floating to its shores. [Come to think of it, Columbus didn't have any crack houses before I move there, but...but we are not making any correlations here, ahem] These folks, who had paid huge amounts of money to Indonesian smugglers  to sail over in barely seaworthy craft, hope to supersede those who have gone through legitimate channels for their refugee entry status to be one of the 13,500 true refugees allowed in every year. [And this bit of illegal hopscotch just agitates me  in a big way.] It all became overwhelming for the government to handle.
       Recently, Canberra (seat of the Fed gov't) made an announcement.  Effectively immediately, all preferred profession visa applications less than two years old were cancelled , the list was abolished and soon to be replaced by a smaller, more accurate high-skill list.  Canberra even acknowledged that it may have to refund application fees. People from Sri Lanka or Afghanistan seeking  refugee status visas will now be on mandatory 3-6 month waiting lists before their requests could even begin to be considered. The Australian government was following some international governing body's assessment that  Sri Lanka and Afghanistan may not be  paradises but law & order, free elections and other factors are improving their lot out of refugee qualifications.
       This stop-on-a-dime policy switch was astounding to me. Only in a country as "small" as Australia could this happen or the physical improvements seem possible.  Not even for a moment could I imagine the U.S. (with it population over 15 times as large as OZ)  being able to about-face on any policy so quickly.  The wheels of government churn slowly everywhere on the planet. It will be interesting to see how all the reconsidered immigration, energy generation, resource management and infrastructure improvement will turn out.