Tony Burke's Hollow Lecture on Social Cohesion: A Failure of Vision and Execution, By Paul Walker

On October 19, 2025, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke appeared on ABC's Insiders, a program typically reserved for the political elite to polish their narratives. There, he delivered a masterclass in deflection: admitting that Australia's immigration levels "needed to come down" while simultaneously branding critics of the Labor government's record-high intake as "far Right" agitators wielding immigration as a "dog whistle" to erode social cohesion. It's a classic Burke move, acknowledge the problem just enough to seem responsive, then pivot to moral grandstanding. But as fresh polls underscore public frustration, this isn't leadership; it's a failure to confront the very tensions his policies have exacerbated. In an era where housing shortages, infrastructure strain, and cultural frictions are headline news, Burke's sermon on cohesion rings as empty as a post-boom mining town. This discussion dissects why Burke's approach isn't just ineffective, it's actively undermining the social fabric he claims to protect.

Burke's timing couldn't have been worse. His comments landed hot on the heels of two damning opinion polls from early October, painting a picture of a nation fed up with unchecked migration. The standout: Resolve Political Monitor's survey of 1,800 Australians, conducted October 7-12, revealed 58% demanding a "significant reduction" in migration levels, outpacing opposition to cuts by a staggering 4-to-1 margin. This isn't fringe sentiment; it's a cross-spectrum roar, from suburban families priced out of homes to regional workers watching jobs evaporate.

These numbers echo a broader trend. A separate September Resolve poll showed Pauline Hanson's One Nation surging to 12%, a record high, fuelled explicitly by immigration backlash, as Coalition support cratered to 27%. Burke dismisses this as "far Right" noise, but it's arithmetic: When 185,000 permanent visas are locked in for 2025-26, unchanged from pandemic peaks, without addressing the fallout, voters don't hear nuance; they hear neglect. His failure here? Ignoring that social cohesion isn't lectured into existence, it's built on trust, and polls like these scream that trust is fracturing.

Dig deeper, and Burke's Insiders performance reveals a minister adrift. He concedes migration must fall, now 40% below its COVID rebound peak, but rejects multi-year targets as "overcommitment," fearing they'd stifle "flexibility" for Australia's "changed needs." Noble in theory, but what are those needs? Labor's Migration Strategy, unveiled in December 2023, promised a "sustainable" system: cap international students, prioritise skills, boost regional settlement. Yet by October 2025, net migration hovers at 400,000+ annually, dwarfing pre-pandemic norms of 200,000-250,000. Housing completions lag at 170,000 yearly against 250,000+ household formations; rents have spiked 15% in capital cities; and GP wait times stretch months in growth corridors.

Burke's defence? A vague appeal for "respectful debate." But respect cuts both ways. When he labels immigration hawks "destabilisers," he gaslights Australians grappling with real pain, young couples bunking with parents, small businesses buried in red tape for visas. This isn't cohesion; it's condescension. Recall Burke's own tweet (if it exists in the ether of X), likely amplifying his Insiders soundbite: a polished thread on unity, silent on specifics. No wonder no recent posts from @BurkeMJ on the topic surfaced, perhaps even he senses the echo chamber.

The failure crystallises in Labor's inertia. Since taking office in 2022, they've deported fewer non-citizens (down 20% on Coalition averages) while student visas ballooned 30%. Burke, as the architect, owns this: a system that imports talent Australia can't house, then scolds locals for noticing the strain. Social cohesion? Try social sclerosis, frozen by fear of "far Right" phantoms while everyday Australians foot the bill.

Burke's sharpest barb — "using immigration as a dog whistle to destabilise social cohesion" — is projection wrapped in piety. Dog whistles thrive in silence, yet Labor's been whistling for years: "Big Australia" rhetoric from PM Albanese, uncapped family visas, and a points system favouring volume over value. The real destabilisers? Policies that pit newcomers against incumbents in a zero-sum scramble for resources. Protests in August 2025, thousands marching in capitals against high migration, weren't "far Right" fever dreams; they were desperate cries from a squeezed middle.

Burke's history amplifies the irony. As Immigration Minister in the Gillard-Rudd era (2013), he oversaw Operation Sovereign Borders' precursor, boat turnbacks that slashed arrivals 90% but drew "racist" howls from his left flank. Now, facing onshore blowback, he flips the script: Critics are the villains. This selective outrage erodes cohesion more than any poll. When 58% of Aussies, from Greens to Liberals, align on cuts, dismissing them as extremists isn't statesmanlike; it's suicidal. Burke's failure is characterological: a chameleon who lectures on unity while dividing to conquer headlines.

Conclusion: Time for Real Cohesion, Not Sermons

Tony Burke's Insiders outing wasn't a pivot, it was a pratfall, exposing Labor's immigration edifice as a house of cards. Admitting the need for cuts while demonising dissent? That's not governance; it's grenade-lobbing from the bunker. With Resolve's 58% mandate echoing louder than any dog whistle, Burke's path to redemption is clear: Slash caps to 160,000, tie visas to housing proofs, invest in integration funds, not flexible targets, but firm timelines. Anything less perpetuates the failure: a minister who preaches cohesion but delivers chaos, leaving Australians to wonder if anyone's listening.

In the end, social cohesion isn't a lecture hall debate, it's the quiet assurance that tomorrow won't cost more than today.

https://www.macrobusiness.com.au/2025/10/tony-burke-shouldnt-lecture-about-social-cohesion/