The Migration Institute of Australia (MIA) issued a statement today calling for all politicians to address the true migration issue with honesty, clarity and good faith.

The professional association for Australian migration service providers worldwide said that "the true migration issues that need to be dealt with are about skills shortages and Australia's reputation abroad, but Government and the Opposition remain locked in an absurd and short-sighted contest to see who can have the fewest boat arrivals and the smallest migration program."

According to MIA's statement, hundreds of thousands of migrants and potential migrants have been hit by the oscillating, overcooked changes to Australia's migration program over the past six months, only to face an election campaign that threatens further reductions and besmirches the positive social and economic roles they play in communities across the country.

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It said the Migration Program is complex and has a wide-ranging effect across public policy, so treating it with care and diligence needs political cooperation that is weakened by the dispiriting political debate on refugee arrivals.

 "It should not be too much to ask for our leading politicians to acknowledge that any migration policy must meet skills needs, value family unification and honour international humanitarian obligations," said MIA chief Maurene Horder.

"To claim otherwise fundamentally misleads the voting public."

"The real issues facing Australian migration concern the skills and people we need for growth and prosperity, especially as our humanitarian intake represents a tiny fraction of the overall Migration Program," Ms Horder said.

"Politicians should resist emotional language in conversations about refugees and make it clear that, regardless of method of arrival or country of origin, it is not illegal to come to Australia in search of humanitarian entry."

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