Migrants working as doctors, nurses, carers, scientists and farmers in rural Australia are being wrongly blamed for a complex decline in social cohesion, an essay by the Regional Australia Institute says.
The report argues that falling trust in governments and institutions is rooted more deeply in cost-of-living pressures, housing problems, isolation and limited access to healthcare than in immigration.
It said migrants were highly visible in regional communities and could become a proxy for wider concerns that were more difficult to identify. A sense of being “left behind”, along with fewer opportunities for face-to-face contact, was also linked to anti-government sentiment.
“Migration is often linked to social cohesion because migrants are highly visible and can become a proxy for broader concerns that are harder to identify,” the essay said.
The institute described a “vicious cycle” in which financial hardship or poor health could increase social isolation, weaken wellbeing and trust in institutions, and make people more susceptible to misinformation.
Populist politics and social media use were identified as factors contributing to negative views about migration. Liz Ritchie, the institute’s chief executive, said public debate had reduced a much broader issue to immigration.
“Social cohesion has been confused to be a discussion about migration and it is much more nuanced and complex than that,” she told AAP.
Her comments come as both sides of politics move to alter migration settings and impose caps on working visa holders, while regional communities continue to describe overseas workers as essential.
Several peak farming organisations told a Senate inquiry in May that migrants filled critical labour shortages, protected local jobs, supported innovation and added to rural culture.
Tasmanian farmer Michele Lawrence said overseas workers brought “cultural and social perspectives” and helped foster tolerance and understanding of events elsewhere in the world.
Trust in government lower in regional Australia
Data cited by the Regional Australia Institute showed that just 24 per cent of people in outer regional and remote areas trusted the federal government, compared with 35 per cent in major cities.
The McKinnon Index also recorded lower satisfaction with democracy in regional areas. The essay said differing definitions of social cohesion — ranging from the absence of violence and hatred to a broader sense of national wellbeing and belonging — made it harder for Australia to respond effectively.
Ms Ritchie said social cohesion should be treated as a “national asset”, supported by investment in infrastructure that brought communities together, including libraries, halls, childcare and health services.
“A lot of things lead to to this lack of social cohesion … it is alarming,” she said. “It can be turned around, but it takes focus and a government to really step out and genuinely invest in regional Australia.”
