"That's what many said about the Vietnamese. Nowadays they are the ones that bust their guts growing our vegetables. Without refugee intake, who will do all the hard, shit work?"
I'm not sure if you are being facetious but if not you are on the money. The Vietnamese suffered very similar opposition but now represent a great success story for intensive horticulture across the country. They replaced to some degree the previous migrant groups; Italians and Greeks.
There is however other methods of filling the "hard, shit work" that Australians are not interested in and that is seasonal working visas which currently operate in many horticultural areas. Pacific Islanders have large working parties that pick, plant and prune (amongst other things). This is beneficial to Australia in more ways than one. Many of these nations are dependent of foreign aid and these employment opportunities add much needed wealth.
I would be interested to see statistical evidence of more recent refugees in Australian horticulture because what the Vietnamese achieved may not be replicated today.
