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Australia to boost

immigration intake

SYDNEY: Australia is to boost its immigration intake to 76,000 next year with an increase of 6,000 new places for skilled migrants willing to go anywhere but Sydney or Melbourne, the government announced on Tuesday.

"We are seeking to obtain a better dispersal of the migration programme so people will focus on parts of Australia other then Sydney or Melbourne," Minister for Immigration Philip Ruddock said.

The biggest increase in the migration programme since 1996, with a total intake of 76,000 places for 2000-01, includes a humanitarian allocation of 12,000 places and family category of 34,400.

But the programme could expand to 85,000 places if employers sponsor employees under a special 5,000-place contingency reserve available to state and territory governments seeking to boost employment in target industries such as the high technology sector.

A contentious 4,000-place plan for parents of migrants is also before approval, which would require migrants to pay a social security bond and takeout medical insurance before entry.

Federation of Ethnic Communities councils President Rendolph Alwis supported increased immigration outside Sydney and Melbourne.

"One of the problems we have is that of all the people coming to Australia, more than 40 percent want to go to Sydney and they're putting a lot of pressure on infrastructure," he told AFP.

"Then there are other places with dwindling populations in South Australia and Western Australia where people are leaving."

However, he said the target skilled migrant level of 6,000 was unlikely to be filled.

"Skilled migrants are in short supply around the world," Alwis said.

"And we're not be only ones looking for these people, there's the United States and Britain, so we're the third choice."ÐAFP