Immigration issues

Hope and hate: how governments around the world are responding to 'illegal' immigration

Immigration issues

Show Notes

Recently, local news headlines have been dominated by stories about anti-immigration rallies which were held across Australia on the last day of August. But it's not just in Australia where migration has created such deep feelings - it's also an issue that has been front and centre in the US as Donald Trump fulfils his election campaign promise to carry out mass deportations. There are now at least a million fewer immigrants in the US, raising questions about the impact of their absence on key industries like agriculture and construction. Migration is also a major concern in Europe, which has long grappled with what to do with the scores of people fleeing war and poverty in their home countries. This episode of the TOO HARD BASKET focuses on these complexities.

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The federal government says Labor’s long-awaited immigration reforms are designed to bring net migration down, ease pressure on housing and close what it describes as loopholes in the visa system. But what does that look like for farmers, current international students and migrant workers?

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Support for One Nation has been on the rise in recent months. But in the electorate of Hunter - a Labor stronghold in New South Wales - the party was the runner up in last year's election, one of only two electorates where that happened. SBS News reporter Kerrin Thomas travelled to Hunter to speak to residents about how they're feeling about the party's latest moves.

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A new report by the Lowy Institute reveals support for multiculturalism in Australia has plunged in the past two years. A recent poll has linked a decline in support for both current migration levels and multiculturalism, which coincides with growing fears about economic and social safety.

Jun 19, 2026

This week, Australia celebrates the one million refugees who’ve made a home here since the end of World War Two. While some employers are offering new jobs and training, there are also calls to cut the refugee intake and some initiatives are at risk.

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