The debate on immigration within Australia's Labor Party, the main opposition in a nation that has the second-highest level of foreign-born people within the group of developed nations, is emblematic of the hand-wringing and rethink of set policies that have erupted in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. In an Opinion page piece in The Sydney Morning Herald, Shadow Minister for Home Affairs Kristina Keneally posed this question: Does Australia want migrants to return in the same numbers and in the same composition as before the crisis? Her own answer: No! Ms Keneally called for reducing the number of young, lower-skilled temporary workers allowed to enter and more investment in skills training for locals.

With a quarter of its people being foreign-born, Australia, a thinly populated, continental-sized country rich in natural resources, has long been a nation most welcoming of immigrants. This inflow not only boosted the population, but also helped Australia's three-decade run of growth powered essentially by commodities exports to booming Asia. But Ms Keneally argues that this has been a "lazy" approach because, in her view, opening immigration was an easier way to drive economic growth than increasing productivity or investing in skills and training. Indeed, one important lesson from the pandemic has been for governments to ponder giving greater attention to developing skills and capabilities at home.

Given that the Australian economy faces its first contraction in decades, her views are unsurprising. But it is controversial. Welcoming immigrants is almost a mantra Down Under. One pro-immigration Labor MP even voiced concern that the party could be accused of "dog-whistling" - sending a political message understood only by a particular group of constituents, but not by others. It speaks of certain instincts in Australian politics that such concerns are raised.

While Ms Keneally is not advocating a ban so much as a policy recalibration, neutrals will see her views as a call for introspection because what may have worked in the past may no longer be fit for current purpose. This is also on the back of concerns that labour-market slack is contributing to low wages and depressed productivity. Population Minister Alan Tudge said in response yesterday that net overseas migration will drop by 85 per cent in the 2020-2021 financial year, impacting population growth that has clocked 1.6 per cent a year for a decade. He did not say if or when the policy will be revived. This is as it should be. The pandemic has unleashed dark instincts of race and xenophobia in countries. Already, right-wing Australians are claiming vindication for long-held positions on immigration. Given such sentiments, it is important that governments everywhere do not lose control of the debate to populists even as they work on solutions to give locals a lift.